A great deal rides on the outcome of the Carling Currie Cup clash between the Cell C Sharks and Tafel Lager Griquas when the two teams meet at Jonsson Kings Park on Saturday afternoon.
These sides played out to a thrilling 34-33 victory for the Cell C Sharks when they last met, in a Vodacom Super Rugby Unlocked in Kimberley back in November.
With two matches remaining until the knock-outs, the Cell C Sharks know they need to not only win but also build some momentum ahead of the semi-finals.
“The team has had a good week of preparation for this game,” head coach Sean Everitt said in the build-up to the match.
“This team has high standards and has been very tough on itself and the players have worked hard to rectify what went wrong in the Cheetahs game. Those issues were easily identifiable and the players are certainly motivated to put in a better performance on the weekend.”
He warned that Griquas will come into this match with plenty of motivation. A proud team that has yet to register a win, they’d like nothing better than to beat the Cell C Sharks in our own backyard and give their supporters something to cheer about.
“Griquas, like they were in Kimberley when we last met, will always be a massive challenge,” Everitt admitted. “They’ve run many teams close. They were unfortunate not to get the result against the Lions and we have no doubt what they’ll bring to Durban.
“They’re a desperate team seeking their first win and obviously motivated to knock over one of the big four. Our team is under no false illusions as to what they need to bring themselves, it’s going to be a physical battle and a big duel in the set-piece.”
He added that the Cell C Sharks have worked exceptionally hard over the last 12 months and played some really good rugby at times.
“The nature of sport is that you won’t win all your games but as I said at the beginning of 2020, our focus is on performance and we haven’t delivered what is expected of us. The guys have strong characters and what we cannot criticise in the losses in the last two weeks is the effort and work rate they’ve displayed on the field.
“I know these guys are determined to bounce back this weekend and I look forward to the challenge on Saturday afternoon.”