The Hollywoodbets Sharks will have their work cut out for them when they take on Leinster in Dublin on Saturday evening (5.55pm kick-off), but understand that turning small moments into big ones – and not allowing the opposition that advantage – will be the difference.
Taking note of last week’s encouraging performance against Munster, head coach John Plumtree has identified what it will take to win this round two Vodacom United Rugby Championship game.
“We have to be good in all areas to beat a top side like Leinster,” he admitted from the team’s base in Ireland.
“We know we’ll come under pressure and particularly around 30m from our try line, so it’s how we cope with that pressure defensively because when they get into that zone, they’re really tough to stop.
“There are going to be some big moments and we can’t afford to be playing well and then have soft moments that allow the opposition to get a 14-point lead, that type of thing really hurts, so we’d like to be more accurate in that regard.
“Our set-piece has to function well, we have to have that source of possession so we can build some pressure.”
Defence often wins games, and this is a crucial area Plumtree hopes his charges dominate, particularly against a Leinster side that shows patience on attack and the kind of continuity that wears down defences.
“Defensively, this a big area we have to get right. Leinster, like all Irish sides, play with a lot of flow on attack, they get a lot of momentum from set-piece and they maintain that momentum through accurate skillsets. One thing about Irish rugby is that they are highly skilled, so it only takes one missed tackle or soft tackle and then there’s an offload before they find the space they need, and they have the ability to finish it off.
“They lost to Glasgow last week, but the Scots had some of their internationals back and Leinster didn’t.”
But the mood in the camp is positive, particularly after a settled week in Ireland. Last week’s game came off what Plumtree called, “pretty brutal travel,” and they’ve had a full week’s preparations, including the necessary rest, to ready themselves for this game.
“It’s been a good, full week and energy levels are right up there. We want to continue the attacking mindset we showed against Munster last week, we just let ourselves down with some soft moments around defence and missed a couple of opportunities on attack, so it’s going to be important in the Leinster game that we don’t miss those opportunities and we don’t have those soft moments.
“They’re a side that has dominated European rugby for a long time and although this isn’t a full-strength Leinster side, they have such good depth and they have the capacity to hurt you.
“We know what a tough challenge this is going to be.”