Sharks formulating plan for Elton Jantjies
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies will be a marked man during his sides match against the Sharks on Friday.
The Sharks take on the Lions in their first home game of the seven-week Super Rugby Unlocked season.
The Sharks who were the in-form South African Super Rugby team before the lockdown, will look to bounce back after their horrendous showing against the Bulls during Super Fan Saturday two weeks ago.
Sharks flank James Venter, who missed the 28-49 pre-season defeat to the Bulls with a concussion, admitted the result was a huge blow but he has assured fans they will be better against the Lions.
“The defeat to the Bulls was a punch in the face,” Venter told reporters.
“We learned a lot from that game and have bounced back. The guys have trained hard and now it’s all about executing.”
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When asked about the upcoming challenge against the Lions, Venter identified Elton Jantjies as a major threat.
Jantjies has been in fine form since the restart, producing a man of the match performance during the Springbok Showdown on Saturday at Newlands.
“Jantjies is their leader and being a flyhalf he controls the game; therefore, we have been formulating processes and methods to maybe nullify him or just controlling his abilities.
“I know the Lions love playing running rugby and sometimes playing in Durban with wet weather conditions you can’t play that type of rugby.
“So we need to be physical up front. The Sharks really dominate the set-piece and we just overall really good at our defence, so we just need to do well and focus on what we do good.”
The Sharks will name their team on Wednesday.
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