The Sharks are set to take on Edinburgh in a crucial United Rugby Championship (URC) match on Friday, with their playoff hopes hanging by a thread. Currently 11th in the standings, the team is 11 points behind the Bulls in eighth place, with only three rounds left to play.
According to defence coach Joey Mongalo, the team’s aspirations of making the URC quarter-finals are faint, describing them as a “dying man”. Coach JP Pietersen echoed this sentiment, stating that “some hope is better than none”. However, with the points table not in their favour, the Sharks will need to deliver a significantly improved performance to quieten the growing discontent among their fans.
URC Playoffs and Challenge Cup
The Sharks are almost certainly out of the URC race, and their dismal season has also seen them eliminated from the second-tier Challenge Cup. The team’s unimaginative attacking play has been a major area of concern, and the upcoming fixture against Edinburgh takes on added significance with the announcement that Edinburgh’s current attack coach, Scott Mathie, will be joining the Sharks next season.
Mathie, who has previously coached Durban High School and Griquas, will be looking to make a positive impact on the Sharks’ attacking play. The team will also be facing former Sharks hooker/flank Dylan Richardson, who is on the bench for Edinburgh. Other South African connections in the Edinburgh squad include prop Boan Venter, who will be joining the Lions after finishing his stint in Scotland, and former Bull Pierre Schoeman, who starts at loosehead.
Team Lineups and Referee
The Edinburgh team will feature Piers O’Conor, Darcy Graham, and Mosese Tuipulotu in the backline, with Tom Currie, Freddy Douglas, and Glen Young in the forwards. The Sharks, meanwhile, will be led by captain Andre Esterhuizen, with Zekhethelo Siyaya, Edwill van der Merwe, and Makazole Mapimpi in the backline, and Manu Tshituka, Vincent Tshituka, and Phepsi Buthelezi in the forwards.
The referee for the match will be Ben Breakspear from Wales, with Rob McDowell and Jonny MacKenzie from Scotland serving as assistant referees, and Keith David from Wales as the TMO.
For more information on the United Rugby Championship, visit the official Pro14 website. The Sharks will be looking to bounce back from their 21-17 loss to the Ospreys last week, which was marred by controversy over late tackles and dubious tactical ploys.
Here are the lineups for the two teams:
- Edinburgh: 15 Piers O’Conor, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Mosese Tuipulotu, 12 Findlay Thomson, 11 Malelili Satala, 10 Cammy Scott, 9 Hector Patterson, 8 Tom Currie, 7 Freddy Douglas, 6 Glen Young, 5 Grant Gilchrist (captain), 4 Marshall Sykes, 3 Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 Pierre Schoeman
- Sharks: 15 Zekhethelo Siyaya, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Andre Esterhuizen (captain), 12 Siya Masuku, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Jean Smith, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Manu Tshituka, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Phepsi Buthelezi, 5 Emile van Heerden, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Hanro Jacobs, 2 Fez Mbatha, 1 Phatu Ganyane
The match promises to be an exciting encounter, with both teams looking to secure a crucial win in the URC standings.
