Sharks to give Lions a taste of their own medicine?
SPOTLIGHT: The Sharks are bracing themselves for a “fast-paced game” against the Lions in Saturday’s United Rugby Championship showdown at Ellis Park.
John Plumtree’s side cannot afford slip-ups in the race for a top-four spot. They are currently fourth in the standings with 34 points, which is six points behind the third-placed Bulls.
They are only three points above fifth-placed Munster, but they do have a game in hand.
Meanwhile, the Lions will also need to bounce back after their defeat to the Bulls in Pretoria last weekend.
They are four points behind the eighth-placed Scarlets and they also have a game in hand.
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Saturday’s match is the first of two meetings between the teams over the next two weeks. They will meet a week later in Durban for a rescheduled Round One clash.
Sharks flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse believes his former team will want to make the altitude count this weekend and that means trying to run the visitors ragged.
However, the Sharks are also capable of destroying defences if their wide players are given enough time and space.
“We are expecting a fast-paced game, they will look to run us off our feet,” Hendrikse explains.
“For us, it is about managing the game, being present at every moment and making sure we do what we must to get the result.
“Looking at the South African Conference, a win is vital this weekend, so for us, our focus is on winning.”
The Sharks will enter that fixture against the Lions in a good mood after they recorded an upset 19-29 victory over the Bulls in Pretoria in their last outing.
“For us, it’s taking confidence out of that victory,” said Hendrikse.
“It’s never easy to go to the Highveld and get a win there, but we backed ourselves because of the Currie Cup result when we played the Bulls there [drawing 40-all up at Loftus Versfeld in the semifinal] and also beating the Lions in the Final [16-14 at Ellis Park].
“We definitely take that confidence going into the game this weekend and for us, it’s about focusing on our game, on what we need to do to achieve the result we want.”
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