 John Plumtree (File) |
Gavin Rich - SuperSport
Durban - Regardless of what happens in the games that the Sharks and Stormers play this weekend, the first weekend of April is going to be a massive one for the two coastal teams as they get set to face off in a Super Rugby derby in Durban that will be a repeat of last year’s Currie Cup final.It was always going to be an important game as it is now accepted that the conference system has made the four points picked up for a win against a fellow South African team more like eight points due to the damage that a defeat inflicts on a rival. However, it has become even more crucial after the Stormers’ win over the Bulls at Loftus, which effectively turns it into a top of the table clash and a potential must-win for the Sharks if they don't want to find themselves playing catch-up.
The Sharks certainly never helped their cause by losing to the Chiefs in Hamilton last Friday. It means that the Stormers are left as the only unbeaten team in the competition, and the Sharks now face the unenviable task of having to beat the Crusaders in their big game in London at the weekend to prevent themselves going into the Stormers match two wins behind their Cape rivals.
That would render the game a must-win for the Sharks, but they will be mindful of the fact that they face the Stormers at the end of a short turn-around week as they play Crusaders on a Sunday and the Stormers game is on a Saturday. The Sharks also face the flight home from the northern hemisphere in the six days between the fixtures.
The Sharks are mindful of the pit-falls, and there is no doubt that the Chiefs defeat has heaped considerable extra pressure on them to win against the inform Crusaders. Had they beaten the Chiefs they might have had a buffer that they don’t have now. It will not have escaped the Sharks’ attention that after their great start they could find themselves in a situation where they play against the Stormers trying to prevent themselves from losing three in a row.
So while it is a long season and anything can still happen even if the Stormers do go three wins ahead of the Sharks in the South African conference, this is a crucial phase for the Sharks who risk having all the good work they did in winning their first four games undone over the coming weeks.
For the Stormers it is a crucial period too, but for the opposite reason – they must know that wins in the next two matches will put them in a commanding position on the conference log as they head towards their overseas tour. They will also have the relative comfort of knowing that they are in that position after playing the top two challengers from the conference, the Bulls and the Sharks, in away matches and they will still have home matches against those opponents to come.
So Sunday is a massive day for the Sharks, and not just because they are up against a team that since Sonny Bill Williams’s arrival on the scene has taken a significant step up in performance levels.
Meanwhile, the organisers of the game in London have announced that as of Monday night the second tier at Twickenham was opened for selling, with tickets going for 50 pounds and 30 pounds. A big pre-game party has also been organised for supporters at short notice and will be held at the Harlequins’ club-house at the Stoop, alongside Twickenham. Half the money charged for entrance fee will go to the Red Cross Earthquake Relief fund.
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