ROUND ONE: INVESTEC CHAMPIONS CUP
12/13/2024 05:01 AM
The Hollywoodbets Sharks kicked off their Investec Champions Cup campaign with a resounding 39-21 bonus point victory over Exeter Chiefs at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Round One.
Having successfully negotiated their way through the EPCR Challenge Cup, all the way to the final and lifting the trophy, the Durban side were granted access into the premier, top tier competition that features the finest sides from England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Italy and France, and of course, South Africa.
Access to the Champions Cup is limited to the finest 24 teams from those countries and many will know it by its former name, the Heineken Cup. Toulouse hold the record for the most titles – six – and are the current holders, having defeated Leinster in the 2023/24 final.
For the Hollywoodbets Sharks, round one proved to be a success as far as results go, but there is no denying the fact that they had to dig deep.
"I thought we managed the last 10 minutes pretty well, we kept them out a couple of times and managed to get some territory," head coach John Plumtree admitted after the match when his team had been issued three yellow cards and faced a resurgent Exeter side looking to overturn the result.
"We have to give credit to the opposition, these are tough games, we're playing strong opposition and I thought Exeter were really good in the first 15-20 minutes. It was very physical, we lost a few players to injury and we had to adjust to that, but I felt we played some really good rugby. I was really pleased with some of the rugby we played, particularly when we had to make those adjustments after losing two loose forwards in the space of about five minutes."
The Hollywoodbets Sharks hit the road in week two, taking on the Leicester Tigers who went down to Bordeaux Bègles (42-28) in round one. Coached by former Wallaby Michael Cheika, the back-to-back champions (2001 and 2002) and Premiership title-holders from 2022 are a cosmopolitan side featuring the likes of Springbok flyhalf Handre Pollard and a host of international players from Argentina, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Australia, France, Fiji, Tonga, and of course, England.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks have unfortunately had to travel without some of their top names, following a hugely physical game in round one that saw lock Eben Etzebeth and loose-forwards Vincent Tshituka and James Venter leaving the field early.
"We are in for a real big three weeks with a squad under pressure with injuries," the coach confirmed. "We're going to have to use some players in our wider group and now we see how good our squad is."
Something special is brewing for the Durban side who have a recent record of played four, won four at Hollywoodbets Kings Park. Their success is no coincidence, but comes off the back of a tough year, but a year in which hard work has produced the results.
"It's good to see how the players have responded this year," Plumtree explained. "They want to play well in the jersey and they want to do well in this competition. We've got some really good leaders and some really good talent, and everyone is enjoying their rugby.
"That's what I envisaged coming back here. We've had four games at home and won all four, and picked up a bonus point win in our first game in this competition."
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