DURBAN – It is show time for the Sharks at Kings Park on Saturday evening when we will see if they are the real Super Rugby deal as they tackle a wounded Waratahs team that have everything to prove.
The Sharks returned on Monday from Australia having harvested five points after having played poorly against the Reds (gaining one point from their loss), and then snatching a win at the death against a Brumbies team who are not looking that flash.
The Waratahs, in turn, are looking to show their true mettle after having been hammered 55-36 by the Lions at Ellis Park last week. The top-ranked Australian side leaked eight tries, as well as two yellow cards. Clearly defence and discipline have been a focus for them this week.
In Sydney, the questions are being asked as to whether the Waratahs are yet again going to flatter to deceive or can recover and be genuine contenders for top spot on the Australian Conference. The pressure is on them, make no mistake, and the Sharks know it.
The refrain from the Sharks all week has been “beware of the backlash”, and there is merit in that, but the Sharks have their own point to prove. This is their first home game of the season, they have offered their supporters an appetising “buy one ticket, get another one free” deal in a bid to fill the stadium.
But if the fans are going to spend their dough, good deal or not, the Sharks have to also put their money where their mouths are and deliver a performance that will bring the fans back.
That means not only winning, but playing a brand of rugby the Sharks have been promising for years but have not always had the confidence to deliver.
Since Gary Gold took over from Jake White at the end of 2014, the promise has been to play “bums-on-seats” rugby, and that was taken up by new coach Robert du Preez in last year’s Currie Cup, even though the Sharks failed to make the semi-finals.
Sharks coach Robert du Preez. Photo: Muzi Ntombela, BackpagePix
The last five meetings between these sides have been won by the home side on the day. The Waratahs last won in Durban in 2009. The Sharks have won their last four home Super Rugby games. Not since a run of eight wins on the bounce from 2013 to 2014 have they won more consecutive matches at home.
So while there is pressure on the Waratahs to bounce back, there is just as much pressure on the Sharks to win at home and make a statement that they are going to be a team worth supporting at Kings Park this year.
Interestingly, the Waratahs have included former Sharks lock David McDuling in their second row for the match. McDuling, who was born in Durban but raised in Australia, returned to KZN on a two-year deal in 2015 and 2016, but never broke into the starting line-up.
He is back in Australia and replaces man mountain Will Skelton, who is out of the match with a hamstring injury, a significant blow to the Waratahs, with respect to McDuling.
Waratahs captain Michael Hooper told the Sydney Morning Herald the following of McDuling being in their squad: “The man of Durban’s been great, he’s shown us around some nice restaurants and some good things to do, but more importantly just what to expect here, what’s coming from the Sharks’ attitude and things like that,” Hooper said.
“I’ve been hugely impressed from day one with Dave, about some of the experience he’s brought into the Tahs. He’s proved it to the point where he’s starting against a team that he played for last year.”
In the backline, Nick Phipps returns at scrumhalf after missing the Lions game, with Matt Lucas moving back to the bench, while the rest of the team is unchanged.