Sharks ready for their first 'Italian job'
SPOTLIGHT: The Sharks hope to avoid the ignominy that befell the Bulls and Stormers on their first ventures onto Italian soil.
It was a humbling experience for the star-studded Bulls team, who dominated the South African conference to qualify for the Rainbow Cup Final.
They headed to Treviso in a confident mood.
However, Benetton completed a remarkable story on 19 June 2021, thrashing the Bulls 35-8 to win the Rainbow Cup.
Their triumph came just two months after they finished bottom of the Pro14 with 15 defeats and one COVID cancellation.
The Stormers were forewarned when they headed to Stadio Monigo for a United Rugby Championship Round One match on September 25 last year.
They were more competitive than the Bulls three months earlier, but Benetton beat the Stormers 22-18.
Now it is the Sharks’ turn to head to Treviso to face off against an Italian side for the first time in a URC outing, on Saturday.
The Sharks take on Benetton in their first foray against Italian opposition looking to build on their last performance that heralded a 29-22 victory over the Bulls a fortnight ago.
Having played an extra game – 10 to the Sharks nine – Benetton are the best performers of the two Italian sides, in ninth position on the URC log with 23 points, two ahead of the Sharks in 10th spot.
Interestingly, both sides come into this match with an identical record in the last three rounds – a win, a draw and a loss.
Sharks coach Sean Everitt believes his team is in the right space ahead of their Italian job.
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#OurSharks have arrived safely in Italy 🇮🇹#OurSharksForever #TacklingNewShores #URC #BENvSHA pic.twitter.com/GkfhpBqYRk
— The Sharks (@SharksRugby) February 21, 2022
“The win against the Bulls [the 29-22 win] gave the team a lot of belief and going away, the team is in a better headspace than after the Stormers games,” he said of a 22-all draw at Kings Park on January 29 and a 10-20 loss in Cape Town a week later.
“It was a good win,” he said of the triumph at Loftus Versfeld, adding: “It was character-building one for everybody and the important thing for us is to prepare well for Benetton, freshen up and be clear about our plans so that we can get another five points.”
Benetton will be missing their internationals this week due to Six Nations commitments and the Azzurri’s clash with Ireland means the loss of captain Michele Lamaro amongst a number of their players in the Italian national squad.
“There are no easy games in the URC,” Everitt pointed out.
“Although the Six Nations is on at the moment, Benetton have a wealth of international players still with them who aren’t involved in Six Nations rugby at the moment.
“They aren’t losing too many players from the pack and we won’t be taking anything for granted. We need to focus on the job at hand which is to try to get maximum points out of the next seven games which would leave us in a very good space.”
Source: @SharksRugby
