The Sharks XV hope the support in Clermont’s Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium will aid them in their search for a first Currie Cup win when they take on the Cheetahs on Saturday afternoon (5.10pm start).
It’s an unknown stadium for both sides, but the home team will look to their passionate fans to provide some extra energy to their players as they look to shake off two demoralising losses in the opening stages of the tournament.
They are sitting with a points difference of minus 105 and at the bottom of the log with zero points.
Head coach JP Pietersen believes taking the game to the community could aid the side as they look to break their duck in the competition.
“It’s great that we are taking the game to the community and hopefully inspire future players,” Pietersen said.
“You never know, you may find a future Makazole Mapimpi coming from there, so it is a good initiative from the Sharks and Durban Tourism to take the game to the people. We are expecting a lot of ‘gees’. They must come to support and cheer for us. We have a lot of young players and need that support.
“If the people can come out in their numbers, it would help the team a lot and urge the guys to play the game as they want to put some joy on the people’s faces. The guys are excited, there’s been good energy in training, and we’re looking forward to seeing what this team can do at home.”
Pietersen is hopeful the halfback combination of Junior Springbok flyhalf Vusi Moyo and scrumhalf Bradley Davids can spark the team on the attack. They’ve only scored five points in their first two games, but they do have the players to open up the game with their abilities.
Davids is known for his sniping runs around the rucks, while Moyo loves to take the ball up into contact, and he possesses the ability to put the centres into space with his runs and offloads.
“We are trying a different combination to see if the halfbacks can ignite the team. We want to see if they can create more opportunities on the attack. It is a one-round competition, and we do not have a lot of time (to build combinations). So, we are looking for solutions to get our attack going.
“The response from the group was good (after the loss to the Bulls), and we had a normal week of training at home. The boys are in high spirits, but we are aware of the challenges in the competition.
“If we can get a positive result against the Cheetahs, we will be back in it. However, the main objective is to allow the young guys to play rugby and to grow as a group.”
