It’s one thing being able to call on a number of top Springboks, but it’s another to actually be disciplined and stick to the plan.
And that is probably the biggest challenge facing a star-studded Sharks side in this afternoon’s Champions Cup showdown against Bordeaux Bègles at Kings Park (5.15pm kick-off).
After resting his first-choice side for last week’s URC loss to Connacht in Galway, director of rugby Neil Powell was able to select his best team yesterday for the Durban clash against Bordeaux today.
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi leads a whole host of internationals returning, including the likes of Lukhanyo Am, Makazole Mapimpi and Eben Etzebeth.
Powell also made a few changes to the last Kings Park game, the win over the Bulls on New Year’s Eve, with Jaden Hendrikse back at scrumhalf, Ben Tapuai at inside centre and Vincent Tshituka at blindside flank.
But the normally hot and humid conditions on the east coast at this time of the year could make it difficult for the Sharks to throw the ball around with gay abandon, especially against a Bordeaux side that boasts former Bulls star Madosh Tambwe at wing.
So, Hendrikse, flyhalf Curwin Bosch and fullback Boeta Chamberlain will have to call the shots and give stern direction to the Sharks attack to ensure they don’t give the French club any easy counter-attack opportunities.
“It’s great to pick this 23 against Bordeaux, who [are] one of the top teams in France. They are very unpredictable and like to try to get you unstructured in your defence, and run at you from an attacking perspective and be unpredictable,” Powell said yesterday.
“But in the way they play, they also give you opportunities, so we are happy with the 23 we’ve selected, and hopefully they can do the job for us.
“It will only play to our advantage if we play the conditions correctly. It’s totally different to what they know in Bordeaux, hot and humid, and the ball will be tricky to keep in hand and really play an expansive game.
“We need to plan accordingly, and played in this kind of weather in our last game here – the humidity – and we got an understanding of how difficult it is to handle the ball.
“Whether we are rested or not, we set high standards for ourselves, and it’s really important to go out there, play to our standards and put in the effort that goes with it.
“We want to put as much energy as we can into this Bordeaux game and the others in this 11-game block.
“They will probably play a similar game to what they play up there. They will try to reserve energy as much as possible for their tight five, and that could include a big kicking game, and then try to have a go at you when they get to your 10-metre line.
“Their big threat there is that they kick well, especially in these conditions, so it’s something that we’ve planned for.
“Knowing the French teams, they can come up with anything, and this might be the last chance for them to go further in the Champions Cup. So, they can throw the kitchen sink at us… and run at you with their offloads.
Sharks Team
15 Boeta Chamberlain 14 Marnus Potgieter 13 Lukhanyo Am 12 Ben Tapuai 11 Makazole Mapimpi 10 Curwin Bosch 9 Jaden Hendrikse 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe 7 Vincent Tshituka 6 Siya Kolisi (captain) 5 Gerbrandt Grobler 4 Eben Etzebeth 3 Thomas du Toit 2 Bongi Mbonambi 1 Ox Nche.
Bench: 16 Kerron van Vuuren 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu 18 Carlü Sadie 19 Hyron Andrews 20 Phepsi Buthelezi 21 Cameron Wright 22 Lionel Cronje 23 Rohan Janse van Rensburg.
@AshfakMohamed