The Hollywoodbets Sharks side picked for today’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship derby clash between the two coastal sides is indicative of how much importance the Durban side places on this match.
Head coach John Plumtree is clearly taking this match seriously, having selected all the Springboks he could for this match, barring two.
“We’re using all the Boks that are available to us,” he said in the pre-match media conference. “Bongi has a family bereavement and is away with family, while the medical team worked hard to get Eben right but his body is just a bit broken after the tour, he has lots of little niggles and he pulled out late. He looks a bit dented to be honest and we need to freshen him up.
“The Boks have just come back from a pretty tough tour and been a way from home a lot, so there are always challenges around that. Looking at the mental and physical aspects in the pressure zone of the Springbok tour, you can see how they’re feeling. But apart from Eben and Bongi, everyone else is good and raring to go.”
Coming back from a break for much of the squad, and integrating the international players who have had a busy month, presents a fair number of challenges.
But it is what it is and Plumtree was philosophical about the situation beyond his control. Of the challenges faced this week, just getting everyone on the same page and at the same rate is up there with the most important of them all.
“Combining everything, I guess. It would have been perfect to continue after the Munster game, you could see how well we had progressed as a team from Glasgow to Munster and you lose that momentum with a month’s break.
“But we’ve worked really hard together and we’ve put together a plan. It’s about making sure everything is simplified, starting the week off slowly getting the learnings right, before amping it up before the game.
“My coaching team is working really hard to get everyone up to speed, bearing in mind we also want to freshen them [the Springboks] up mentally, giving them a bit of time with their families.
“If you bring them back in and train hard for four days, we throw a lot down their throats and that’s where you can exhaust them even further.
“It’s a fine line between getting the plan together and also giving them time to freshen up, decompress and spend time with their families.”
Although most of the coach’s attention is on his own team and reintegrating the Springboks back seamlessly, there’s always the opposition that does need some focus.
“We know the Stormers’ threats, they’ve had a lot of time together as a team over the last four weeks. They have some tough campaigners upfront and some pretty lethal backs and we haven’t beaten them in three seasons in the URC.
“From our side, that’s unacceptable. We have a lot to prove, a lot to play for and it’s a home game. Our marketing team has done a good job ensuring that we get a big crowd in and we want to perform for the crowd.
“While we have some challenges, there are no excuses. We have to go out there and give it everything.”