Refreshed Sharks determined to turn fortunes around
SPOTLIGHT: Following a tough start to their United Rugby Championship campaign, the Sharks are refreshed and ready to revive their season against Connacht this weekend, according to Springbok flanker Vincent Tshituka.
It’s been a tumultuous time for the Durban-based outfit on and off the field since the start of the 2025/26 URC season.
They have one win and a draw, coupled with three defeats in the opening quarter of their campaign and are languishing in 13th place on the competition table.
The article continues below…
This led to a change in their coaching and management structures announced on October 29, in which it was revealed that head coach John Plumtree will step down by mutual agreement at the end of the 2025/26 URC season.
The Sharks also said that they would bring in a technical coach consultant “as a matter of urgency,” focusing on the team’s game model and on-field performance.
Fresh from a three-week break for the November internationals, the Sharks travel to Galway this weekend for a tricky fixture against Connacht.
Tshituka was upbeat about the challenge against the Irish outfit and said that they’ve emphasised fixing their past mistakes heading into this clash.
“We’ve gotten some time off to prepare for the challenge against Connacht, and it’s been really good.
“The guys put in a lot of hard work to fix the errors we had at the beginning of the season.
“Also, there’s just been a good positive vibe going into this game, so I’m excited for this short tour.
“[The break] allowed us to really connect as a team.
“We had a tough start to the season, which we didn’t foresee, nor did we want, and the only way to bounce back is to pull together and put in the work, and that’s exactly what we’ve done.
“We’re hoping to reap the results because of that as well.”
Connacht had the Sharks’ number in recent times, winning their last three on the bounce, with the Durbanites’ last victory against them coming in May 2022 at Kings Park.
Similar to the Sharks, Connacht recorded one win in four attempts and has a game in hand, with one point separating the sides on the URC table.
Tshituka added that the Sharks won’t be ‘disillusioned’ by Connacht’s poor start to the season and that it would take a mammoth effort to get a win at Dexcom Stadium against the men from Galway.
“We know Connacht is a quality side and very hard to beat, especially away from home.
“They also haven’t started the season they would’ve wanted to, but we are not disillusioned by the fact that they’re a quality team.
“That would inspire them and even light a greater spark to turn their season around, so we know exactly what we’re facing.
“On our side, we’ve done our part. We’ve worked on our preparation over the past few weeks, pulling together as a team and coming up with a solid plan to go up against them.”
