Road to the play-offs: Sharks SA's best bet?
SUPER RUGBY SPOTLIGHT: Jan de Koning scrutinizes the South African conference and the teams’ play-off prospects with just three rounds of league action remaining.
To use a hackneyed expression: ‘Strap yourself in.’
The next three weeks are going to be a wild ride.
All five teams in the South African conference are still in the race – with just six points separating the Jaguares (36 points from 13 matches) at the top from the Stormers (30 from 13) at the bottom.
In between, you have the Sharks (33), Bulls (32) and Lions (30).
At a cursory glance, it will appear the Sharks are the best bet to stop the Jaguars from becoming the first non-South African team to win the SA conference.
At least the Sharks have it all in their own hands.
They get to play the Argentinean franchise, albeit in Buenos Aires. The Sharks also face another team in their pool, the Stormers.
The same applies to the Lions and Stormers, who not only play each other this week, but both have a second match against SA conference opposition.
The team with the toughest draw in this pool is the Bulls. They are on tour and have two matches remaining in New Zealand – both without key players like Handre Pollard and Duane Vermeulen.
Sharks coach Robert du Preez was very complimentary in the wake of his team’s hard-earned 10-point (27-17) win at the weekend, describing the Lions as a “quality” side and said he has a “healthy respect” for them.
He spoke of the team performance and the workrate of his own players in securing the crucial win.
However, it is the next three weeks that count and he readily admits that “every game is vital” as the competition heads into June.
“The log [standings] is so congested, so it was really important that we got this win,” Du Preez said.
“We will reset, as we play against a quality side in the Hurricanes and we know what they will bring.”
The Jaguares are in the pound seats. They play the Reds away, Sharks at home (their only tough match) and the Sunwolves at home.
You would expect them to collect at least 10 points from the three remaining matches – putting them in a strong position to top the pool.
The crunch match is their home game against the Sharks next week, June 8.
The Sharks’ trip to Buenos Aires is sandwiched between games against the Hurricanes (at home) and Stormers (away).
The Bulls have to pick up some crucial points in New Zealand – against the Blues and Highlanders, before completing their fixtures against the Lions at home.
The Lions, as erratic as they have been, could be the party spoilers. They face the Stormers in Johannesburg and the Bulls in Pretoria, with a Hurricanes showdown sandwiched in between.
Like the Lions, the Stormers have plenty of ground to make up when they face the Lions (Johannesburg), Sunwolves and Sharks (the latter two in Cape Town).
The road to the play-offs for the SA conference teams:
Jaguares – remaining fixtures
Saturday, June 1: v Reds, Brisbane
Saturday, June 8: v Sharks, Buenos Aires
Friday, June 14: v Sunwolves, Buenos Aires
The Sharks – remaining fixtures
Saturday, June 1: v Hurricanes Durban
Saturday, June 8: v Jaguares, Buenos Aires
Saturday, June 15: v Stormers, Cape Town
The Bulls – remaining fixtures
Friday, May 31: v Blues, Auckland
Friday, June 7: v Highlanders, Dunedin
Saturday, June 15: v Lions, Pretoria
The Lions – remaining fixtures
Saturday, June 1: v Stormers, Johannesburg
Saturday, June 8: v Hurricanes, Johannesburg
Saturday, June 15: v Bulls, Pretoria
The Stormers – remaining fixtures
Saturday, June 1: v Lions, Johannesburg
Saturday, June 8: v Sunwolves, Cape Town
Saturday, June 15: v Sharks, Cape Town
By Jan de Koning
@king365ed
@rugby365com
