The Cell C Sharks Under 21s head up to Pretoria to take on the Vodacom Bulls in their round two SA Rugby Under 21 Championship clash this Saturday.
Opening matches against Western Province and then the Bulls, both top sides in the competition, may be a daunting prospect, but it also poses an exciting challenge for the young Cell C Sharks team.
“Obviously we were disappointed with the result against Western Province, you never want to start a campaign off with a loss, but we were very pleased with the performance, there were so many positives we could take out of it,” explains head coach Mike Vowles.
“There were certainly some good lessons learnt, and to score four tries against them was definitely one of the big positives, we just conceded too many soft moments in the game and gave them too many opportunities too easily.
“We’ve spoken about it as a group and we will be better going into this game against the Bulls who offer a very different challenge. We know what’s coming in terms of their physicality, they base their whole game around scrum dominance and maul, so we have some plans to try and counter that.
“The challenge is always the physicality, us being a young side in the competition and having to front up against guys often two years older than our 19 year olds. But that’s the great challenge and the young players need to see it as an opportunity to prove themselves.”
Vowles explained that with the return of players from injury, he expected them to boost the side.
“We’ve had a really good week of training, the preparation has been great and we’ll be a bit stronger than last week and we’re hoping for a really good hit out and excited for the opportunity at Loftus. We’re fully aware of the challenge, but one I’m sure the guys will rise to.”
Cell C Sharks Under 21
- Abrahaam Reyneke
- Bryce Calvert
- Dian Heunis
- Le Roux Coetzee
- Andrew Beyrooti
- Damon Royle
- Siyambuka Ningiza
- Nicholas Hatton (c)
- Christian Els
- Brandon Wilkie
- Siviwe Zondani
- Ethan Hooker
- Ethan Fisher
- Curwin Gertse
- Lloyd Koster
Replacements
- Jacques Marais
- Phatu Ganyane
- Munashe Mhere
- Cornelius Rahl
- Luca Ribbens
- Joshua Miller
- Taurin Craze
- Liqhayiya Gantsho