Sunday’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash with the Vodacom Bulls is the ideal opportunity for Cell C Sharks prop Ntuthuko Mchunu to show just what he is capable of.
He would have loved the chance to get stuck into Ulster last week, albeit off the bench, but that was not to be as they and the Glasgow Warriors both had to pull out of their respect URC matches.
“It was quite shocking news on Friday,” said Mchunu of the fact that the game has now been postponed. “We had a good week of preparations and had come off a good win against the Warriors, so we were looking forward to the game.”
Although there was massive disappointment at not having the opportunity to have a crack at Ulster with a full-strength, Bok-laden Cell C Sharks side, the unscheduled bye has given the squad time to prepare for Sunday’s Bulls’ derby with a team full of energy.
“The players are going to be really fresh this weekend,” he explained.
“We are really looking forward to this match and we’ve prepared well. It’s always a big game when two South African sides go up against each other. Going to Loftus is never easy and the South African teams all front up when we play in the local derbies.
“We’ve prepared for a really physical battle at set-piece time. We know they’re going to bring it but our focus is on ourselves and taking care of what we need to and what we’ve prepared for.
“It should be a really good occasion with both teams looking to front up and play well against one another.”
He added that targeting this game for a victory was nothing more than a general tournament goal, saying, “This is a game we want to win, but in saying that, we go out there to win every game we play, both home and away.”
With the Springboks now out of the picture and an opportunity for extended game time while they are away on national duty, Mchunu admitted that this was a time to put to use all the lessons he’s been able to absorb from them.
“The Sharks have really grown the group and with World Cup winners coming in, from my side as a front rower, the best thing I can do is soak up what they bring and we all feed off each other, on and off the field.
“Every minute spent with them is an opportunity for me to squeeze and maximise the learnings from people who have loads of experience and they have my respect.
“We challenge and lift our standards and for me personally it’s about absorbing everything I can.”