Why 4G shouldn't be a factor for Sharks, Lions
OPINION: The United Rugby Championship resumes this weekend, with Round Four of the competition taking place after last weekend’s break to accommodate the opening round of the Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup.
It was a largely successful weekend for South Africa, with the Bulls and Stormers securing bonus-point wins against Stade Francais and Bristol Bears and the Sharks pulling an upset over Lyon in the second-tier competition.
The grieving Lions delivered an impressive performance against La Rochelle in France in their Champions Cup debut one day after the passing of Hyron Andrews, while the Cheetahs were edged by Bayonne in the Challenge Cup.
The Bulls and Stormers will look to continue their winning run at home against Ulster and Scarlets on Saturday, while the Sharks and Lions will hunt victories away from home against Cardiff and Edinburgh on Friday.
Both JP Pietersen and Ivan van Rooyen’s men won their first two home games and suffered defeats in their Round-Three local derbies.
Now, as they prepare for their second matches of their respective European tours, the artificial surfaces in Wales and Scotland will be one of the biggest factors in their outings.
But it shouldn’t be too big a challenge for either side.
At Matmut Stadium de Gerland, the Sharks, without five of their current Springboks, overcame Lyon and scored six tries on their 4G pitch.
The way they found a way to win, snatching a win at the death, should have given them a massive confidence boost, especially considering that they managed to do it in such a hostile environment.
This week, the Sharks are boosted by their Bok contingent of Andre Esterhuizen, Thomas du Toit, Ox Nche, Edwill van der Merwe, and Ethan Hooker.
While Cardiff have made their home ground somewhat of a fortress, having lost just one game at the Arms Park last season while they won eight, the Sharks last week showed that they are more than capable of nullifying Cardiff’s main threat.
The synthetic playing surfaces in Europe have copped a lot of flak recently for the injuries they cause, both internal and superficial.
These surfaces are also faster than traditional grass pitches, increase ball-in-play time and ruck speed, and are more challenging for defending teams, which will make it pivotal that the Sharks and Lions make sure that they aren’t kept to largely defensive roles this weekend.
The Sharks’ triumph over Lyon on a 4G turf should do a lot for their confidence, and the Lions should also back themselves going into those underfoot conditions. If anybody’s style of play suits artificial surfaces, it’s theirs.
Assistant coach Julian Redelinghuys said the team had trained on these surfaces in the past and that it suits their game to a certain extent without making too much of it.
But the Lions will certainly be presented with a game that suits their running game and ruck speed, and they need to milk it.
Both the Sharks and Lions will want to make up for losing their derbies in Cape Town and Pretoria, and while 4G might be a factor, these are two teams that should back themselves for the occasion.
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