SHIFTING ATTENTION
Yesterday at 07:03 AM
With the completion of the Investec Champions Cup pool stages, the focus now shifts to the Vodacom United Rugby Championship and week 10 action which resumes this weekend after a three week break.
With a game in hand, the Hollywoodbets Sharks are well-placed with this week's clash with the Cardiff Blues marking their halfway point commitments in the tournament.
Cardiff, having played nine games to the Hollywoodbets Sharks' eight are currently leading the Welsh Shield and occupy third spot on the overall log. They have 28 points from five victories, having played one extra game over the Durban side who sit in fifth position on the overall log, trailing the Vodacom Bulls by one point.
Having experienced top flight rugby in the form of the Investec Champions Cup, the Hollywoodbets Sharks will have learnt a great deal from their experiences. Playing quasi-international teams on a weekly basis during the pool stages and beyond offers not only Springboks, but also younger players the opportunity to measure themselves against top class players and teams.
"I love playing in the European Cup, it's so important because it exposes players who may not get a taste of international rugby to these kinds of arenas," explained Springbok and Hollywoodbets Sharks captain Siya Kolisi.
"It's a dream of players to play on a stage like this," he said of the Champions Cup experience.
Kolisi is one of a number of Hollywoodbets Sharks Springboks who will be in action this weekend at Cardiff Arms Park – also known to the locals as Parc yr Arfau Caerdydd – taking on a side with their own strong contingent of Welsh internationals.
Cardiff Arms Park hosted four games in the 1991 Rugby World Cup, including the third-place play-off and also hosted the inaugural Heineken Cup Final of 1995–96. Besides rugby, the stadium has also hosted cricket matches, athletics, football, greyhound racing, tennis, British baseball and boxing.
Once again, it's an opportunity for many of the young players, doing duty in an injury-enforced period of growth for the Hollywoodbets Sharks.
The Durban side will go into this game looking to continue their fine form in the tournament, as they go into this game off the back of a strong run in the URC, having successfully negotiated a group stage that included victories over three former champions – the DHL Stormers, Munster and reigning champs Glasgow Warriors – as well as losing finalists in 2022 and 2024, the Vodacom Bulls.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks will enjoy a three week break following Saturday's match against Cardiff and enjoy the opportunity to bolster the squad with players returning from injury for the second round, return leg match against the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria, before facing the Fidelity ADT Lions at Emirates Airline Park a fortnight later with the home match between the two scheduled for the following week at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, an exciting set of local derbies to tempt the taste buds.
The post SHIFTING ATTENTION appeared first on The Sharks Durban.
