Saturday’s Stormers v Sharks clash will be one of the games of the competition, reckons John Plumtree.

Whether it is about revenge or simply Super 15 points, Saturday’s Stormers v Sharks clash will be one of the games of the competition, reckons John Plumtree.

It was put to the Sharks coach that the word in Cape Town is that his players will be hell bent on avenging their loss to the Capetonians in Durban a month ago.

“Yeah that is how it is, there is no point in beating about the bush, we are after them ….” he said playfully. “The last time I said a game between these teams was about revenge was before the Currie Cup final last year (after the Sharks have shocked the Stormers in the Super 14). It seems the coaches are taking turns at bringing ‘revenge mode’ into it.

“No, look they caught us last time and we feel we are better than that match,” Plumtree continued. “In all seriousness, I said striaght after the Hurricanes match that we looking forward to this game and they no doubt are looking forward to having us, and I am sure everybody is looking forward to watching. It is just one of those contests that capture the imagination, I guess, between two teams that are going alright.”

The Sharks appear to be in relatively good health for the match, with Plumtree confirming that Jean Deysel will make his long-awaited comeback (off the bench) and that Bismarck du Plessis will be fit to return to action, as will Alistair Hargreaves.

The touchy decision on whether to bring Deysel back to the top flight after 10 months on the sidelines was made easier by the ankle injury sustained by Jacques Botes against the Hurrricanes.

“I have been watching Jean’s progression over the last month in the Vodacom Cup and he has steadily improved towards the level of game we associate with him,” Plumtree said.

With Springbok Deysel among the substitutes along with one of John Smit, Du Plessis or The Beast, plus added depth at lock now that Hargreaves is fit, Plumtree is hopeful that the bench will make a big impact in this match

“It is seldom that I have the luxury of having almost everybody fit, but when we are in this position I have serious choices to make, but the choice the players have is how well they play to keep their positions. When everybody is playing well, the bench is strong and we are strong as a group. It means you can pick up your intensity in the second half, when you can bring on hungry, quality players. It makes a big difference.”

That bench will be all the more important given the certain physical intensity of this match. The Stormers believe the way to beat the Sharks is to win the gain-line game and stop the Sharks’ game in its tracks.

“Well, we can dish up what they can dish up, and that is what will make this contest so watchable – the physical side, the speed of the game, defence, and the tactical kicking, which will be very important,” Plumtree observed. “They got us in that area (kicking) last time, and they will fancy dominating us in the line-outs again.

by Mike Greenaway