Preview: Hollywoodbets Sharks vs Vodacom Bulls
Today at 06:09 AM
The Hollywoodbets Sharks will be rearing to go in today's Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash with the Vodacom Bulls at Hollywoodbets Kings Park as they look to perform in front of a huge holiday crowd.
"It's good to be back home, back in front of our home support, playing against a side like the Bulls who are always going to bring out the best in us," explains head coach John Plumtree.
"It has been a disruptive week, we have some players out sick, we have injuries, Eben hasn't passed his SWAY test (a return to play assessment), his back is playing up, he has an issue with his shoulder and we're dealing with an athlete who we need to get right, so we haven't had a perfect week by any means.
"But that's the competition, you have to be adaptable and flexible and you have to deal with each day as it comes before delivering a performance. These are the challenges you have."
Even with all the injuries, Plumtree is satisfied that he has the team to take on the Bulls competitively.
"It's still a good side we're putting out. If you look at where games are won and lost, I'm sure they'll target our pack, we know we have to play really well against the Bulls pack."
As with all derbies against the Pretoria team, the Bulls base much of their game around a physically imposing forward pack to lay the foundation for many of their victories over the years. While there's been an obvious evolution of their game from a 10-man style of dominant forwards and a kicking flyhalf, like any game against any opponent, it's pretty much what happens between the 16 forwards that determines the outcome of the game.
"We need to give our backs good ball, so our breakdown work needs to be efficient because they have three or four really good fetchers, amongst the best in this country, so we have a really tough challenge upfront and I'm sure they're going to go hard at us.
"Upfront, the scrum and lineout is going to be huge. It's all going to be around what happens upfront, how we defend and I'm sure they're talking about similar things."
The breakdown is expected to be keenly contested, and while Plumtree warns of the threat from the opposition, he has exhorted his own team to deliver enough dominance around the ball-carrier to deny the Bulls any opportunities to pilfer.
"We need to clean well and everyone has a responsibility to keep the Bulls' poachers off our ball and turning that around, we want to put a lot of pressure on them as well.
The breakdown battle will be interesting to watch, a lot of it is based around momentum. If our ball-carrying is really good, then it's easier to clean a ruck. They'll be looking to stop us from getting fast ball and we have to do the same to them.
"That's what makes the derby games so interesting because they're always at another level of physicality and Bulls/Sharks clashes over the years have been great in that department.
"They're coming off the back of a loss, and so are we and that's important to us. There are parts to our game that we know if we get right, we have a good chance of winning."
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