Bringing out the Best

02/28/2024 10:29 AM

Vincent Tshituka made his return from injury against the DHL Stormers two weeks ago and is raring to go against his former side when the Hollywoodbets Sharks take on the Emirates Lions in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship this weekend.

He admits that he is raring to go after returning from injury and who better than against your old team?

"There's been a lot of breaks between games which has given me time to get confident about my body which I believe is in really good shape, I haven't had any niggles or issues over the past few weeks, so I'm feeling good, I'm feeling strong," he explains.

"But now I want to build momentum and get back to playing every week."

As a former Lions player who made the move to the coast, he knows intimately the kinds of conversations the Joburg side have when they prepare for the Hollywoodbets Sharks.

"With the way things have gone for us this season, the Lions are going to be in a place where they want to keep us down, they won't give us the air we're desperately looking for.

"They know games against the Hollywoodbets Sharks are always physical, so being in the contest physically is something they will be focussed on.

"And playing at Emirates Airline Park, they will want to move the ball around a lot. They'll want to play a running brand of rugby to try to tire us out later in the game, that's going to be a big aspect of their game.

"Those are predominantly the focal points they're going to be driving throughout the week."

On a personal note, playing against his old side brings mixed emotions, particularly coming up against his brother Emmanuel.

"It's always an honour to step out on the field when my brother and I are playing, it's special to me and I cherish every moment whether we're teammates or on opposing sides.

"It also brings out the best in me, that little extra inspiration to be at the top of my game.

"And playing against the Lions is always going to be special, and playing in Joburg, they played a big part in my career and where I spent a big part of my life. So while the Lions hold a special place for me, I'm not going there as a friend or team-mate, I'm going there as a Shark to get the job done."

One of the biggest responsibilities of a loose forward is to put pressure on the play-maker and try to cut off his opportunities to attack.

"The flyhalf is the heart of the attack and it's a big part of my game to shut their momentum down and slow everything down on their side.

"The Lions thrive on broken play and open space and the more pressure you put them under, the more mistakes they make. Because they're so focused on counter-attack and running the ball, they do make errors, so the more pressure you apply, the more errors you can force and that does affect their confidence."

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