After the Sharks’ unfortunate start to the United Rugby Championship and the resulting turbulence off the field, the November break from the competition is the best thing that could have happened to them.
The Durbanites languish in 13th place with one win from five matches, and a play pause has meant they can take a deep breath and press the restart button ahead of their two-match tour to Connacht and Toulouse.
Captain Vincent Tshituka agrees that the break they have had while the Springboks have been touring has been a blessing.
“It’s been really good to have a bit of time off and actually prepare properly for this challenge against Connacht,” he explained. “The guys have put in a lot of hard work to fix the errors from the beginning of the season, and there’s been a really positive vibe going into this game.”
The team from Galway haven’t fared much better than the Sharks — they sit in 12th place on the log, although they have a game in hand.
Connacht began the season with big expectations under new coach Stuart Lancaster. The former England coach enjoyed success as an assistant coach at Leinster before moving to France last year.
But Connacht are perhaps in better form, with close losses away to Cardiff in Wales (14-8), the Bulls in Pretoria (28-27), and Munster at Thomond Park (17-15).
The Sharks are coming off a 29-19 bonus-point victory over the Scarlets in Durban, and Tshituka hopes the team can use that maiden win as a springboard.
“The past few weeks have been about connecting as a team,” Tshituka said. “It’s been a really tough start — not what we foresaw or wanted — and the only way to bounce back is to pull together and put in the work. That’s exactly what we’ve done, and we hope to reap the rewards.”
Head coach John Plumtree has been massive on establishing the right team culture at the Shark Tank, and Tshituka feels that the off-field cohesion will translate into better performances.
“Connecting on the field and off the field has been huge. We’ve invested more time in that, and the guys are in a good space. We’re really looking forward to the challenge of going to Galway.”
Despite Connacht’s patchy form, Tshituka expects a tough challenge.
“We all know Connacht are a quality side and extremely tough to beat at home,” he said. “They haven’t started the season the way they wanted, but that just gives them more motivation. We know exactly what we’re facing.”
The Sharks are without the majority of their Springboks, but Bok coach Rassie Erasmus has released key scrumhalf Grant Williams and deadly wing Edwill van der Merwe.
Tshituka believes the Sharks can win in both Galway (in the URC) and Toulouse (in the Champions Cup).
“We’ve put in the preparation, we’ve got a solid plan, and as a team we’re excited for the challenge.”
