all-out war at Kings Park this Sat

THE Sharks reconvened in the Shark Tank yesterday after their weekend off and they are under no illusion as to the battle that lies ahead on Saturday against the Bulls, and indeed over the five weekends of Super Rugby that remain before the knock-out stage.

While the Sharks watched on with keen interest, the Cheetahs, Lions and Bulls significantly upped their games (against the Crusaders, Brumbies and Rebels respectively) while the Stormers were brilliant for 40 minutes against the Chiefs in Hamilton before imploding in the second half.

“It is crunch time, for sure. It is all to play for in a wide open competition,” coach John Plumtree said at his team’s first training session of the week ahead of the visit of the resurgent Bulls.

And Plumtree’s opposite number, Frans Ludeke confirmed last night that it will be all-out war at Kings Park.

“It is the biggest match of the year for us. If we lose we are gone,” Ludeke frankly told the Pretoria News. “Our backs are against the wall. We must win this game. After Saturday, we’ll know where we stand and what our prospects are.”

Plumtree countered: “It is must-win for the Bulls but it is must-win for us too. We want to consolidate our lead over the Bulls (seven points behind the Sharks) while keeping the pressure on the Stormers (one point ahead of the Sharks).

“The pressure is on everybody. It is going to a very intense run-in over the next five weeks because only a few teams are completely out of the running. Everybody is pushing hard and, for us, four of our five games are local derbies and three of those are away from home,” Plumtree continued.

In other words the Sharks’ two home games over the next fortnight (Bulls, Waratahs) hold the key to their qualification hopes because it is going to be a big ask to go unbeaten in their three away games – against the Cheetahs, Lions and Bulls.

There was a boost for Plumtree and the Sharks when Springbok captain John Smit took part in training and seems to have recovered from the calf injury that he picked up in the Stormers game at Newlands and has sidelined him for the Brumbies match.

Also, Jacques Botes is over an ankle injury and his return compensates for the suspension of fellow openside flank Keegan Daniel, who will be available next week against the Waratahs.

That means Ryan Kankowski (fractured cheek bone) is the only player on the casualty list and the good health of the Sharks squad is vital going into Saturday’s battle.

The squads that sustain the least injuries over the next month or so could well be the most successful.

“It is going to be very tough on the players given the physicality of the derby matches,” Plumtree said. “But is nothing less than what we expected and at least we don’t have to leave our shores.”

Plumtree spent the weekend fishing in the Transkei but snuck in some viewing of the Bulls game.

“It is hard to judge exactly where the Bulls are at because the Rebels were poor but overall you would have to say they are coming into form at the right time,” he said. “They are a quality team and you see that in how they have responded when the pressure came on.

“The Bulls are full of experienced international players and those guys know how to get on track when it counts most.”

by Mike Greenaway