Today’s round two, return leg Vodacom United Rugby Championship fixture between the Hollywoodbets Sharks and Emirates Lions at Emirates Airline Park is shaping up to be an absolute classic.
Head coach John Plumtree, reflecting on the team selection, has explained that he now has more options available to him after the high injury toll and unavailability of numerous players for various reasons over the last few months.
“There have been a lot of changes from the side that played the DHL Stormers, but I guess we’re in a situation now where we can make a few changes in these URC games,” he explained in the build-up to the match.
There’s been a break since that game and an opportunity to rest and regather.
“We had a couple of days off after the Stormers game and then put in some real hard work. It was an opportunity to top the boys up because we’re playing one week and not the other, so the danger is that the team are slightly deconditioned from a physical point of view so we did some hard work with them.
“Then this week they’ve trained really well, we got some really good work in so we go up there as best prepared as we possibly can be.”
With changes to the team, Plumtree added that this is a real opportunity for numerous players to stand up and make their mark.
“We’ve got some Springboks resting and one or two injuries, but we have some guys getting opportunities in a pressure-cooker venue.
“We know it’s going to be tough because the Lions will be desperate for these URC points and it’s a real opportunity for me to see a few boys who haven’t had a lot of game-time. The likes of Eduan Keyter and Aphiwe Dyantyi get the opportunity to play under pressure, it’s good for those boys.
“It’s also a good opportunity for us to keep aspiring to be better. We’re still not where we need to be from a results space, although I’m pretty happy with a lot of our rugby and where things are going.”
As always, it starts with the forwards and this is where Plumtree feels the base needs to be set.
“They’re always tough to beat up there, we know that upfront is where we really have to perform and get on top of them. It’s always a tough battle physically up there, the Lions pose a real threat upfront with their forward play so that’s going to be a big test for us.”
Standing up to the physical challenge is obviously one of the biggest factors in game play, but so too management of energy levels.
“We want to play a good brand of rugby but we understand the conditions up on the highveld is always a challenge so we’ll have to play the right tempo of game.
“We’ve been good at creating opportunities but not always finishing them, so we really have to be accurate around our finishing because that’s what ultimately let us down against the Stormers.”