Sharks feeding off the positive vibes

17/04/2024 14:52

With one eye on a historic Challenge Cup clash, assistant coach Dave Williams said the Sharks want to maintain momentum against the Glasgow Warriors on Friday.

For the first time, a South African team will contest a semi-final in the European club tournament when the Sharks and French Top 14 club Clermont Auvergne lock horns at London's Twickenham Scoop on Saturday, 4 May.

The Durbanites are on a four-match winning streak, and winning the second-tier Challenge Cup will secure safe passage back to the Champions Cup next season for John Plumtree's charges, who are out of the race for a playoff spot in the Vodacom URC.

Plumtree's men will tackle the Warriors in Scotland, before a trip to Welsh outfit Scarlets, and speaking in a Sharks conference on Wednesday, Williams emphasised the benefit of playing back-to-back URC outings abroad in the buildup to a crunch playoff.

"Confidence does a lot for a team in terms of spirit coming into training on a Monday, and belief in the [game] plan," he told reporters. "It's a great challenge for the guys against Glasgow this week, unbeaten at home this season.

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"But what we've enjoyed about planning for the Challenge Cup is it's sort of a home game for us, being away for two weeks and building up to that game [the semi-final] from a base here and not about arriving here in the week and playing.

"It's amazing how the fixture roster has turned out for us; playing at home for that semi-final would've been great but playing it on the back of two weeks on tour to build some camaraderie … It’s a real advantage for us."

"Twenty-six guys have travelled across for this week's game and whatever team we put out the expectation is the same, to deliver a performance in the Sharks way," Williams added.

"With the workload for some of the guys and four games back to back and the pressure of playoffs, this is an opportunity to freshen the squad up. But again, demanding that same performance and building on that confidence."

Siya Masuku kicked 18 points as the Sharks overpowered Edinburgh last week in Durban, and has seized the No 10 jersey from seasoned playmaker Curwin Bosch, while 21-year-old Ethan Hooker has been a revelation at inside and outside centre.

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"This season has been about growing the depth of the squad who all understand the way we want to play," Williams said. "We've got that ability now to bring people off the bench and still carry on with the game, so we're in a great place.

"Siya and Curwin are on par for distance with the boot, but I think what it's done is create that competitive edge for the position that brings out the best performance for both of them, and gives us a great platform to push on for the rest of the season.

"[Hooker] has slowly progressed up into the senior squad and took his opportunity well, and just offers that focal point for the collision with his ability to carry but also has the 'softer' skills.

"Francois Venter has also groomed him well and built his confidence as well as the cues in the game to look for."

Photo: @SharksRugby/Twitter

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