Sharks wary of ‘proud’ Western Province

JP Pietersen said the Sharks can expect a highly motivated DHL Western Province (WP) side in Cape Town tomorrow, empathising with the Capetonians’ bid to blood youth in 2024.

The Sharks XV travel to the Mother City for a coastal derby in round 8 of the Currie Cup, with the fourth-placed Durbanites hoping to continue with their climb up the league ladder.

Only three rounds remain of the regular season before the semi-finals in this year’s edition of rugby’s oldest competition.

With five defeats in seven matches, WP will be desperate for a win but it won’t be easy against the visitors from KZN, who have shrugged off a slow start to bank three wins and a draw in their last four outings.

This week’s clash will also underline the value of SA Rugby’s elite player development pathway, with several Junior Springboks in line to face each other at Cape Town Stadium.

WP have recently handed debuts to SA U20 captain Zachary Porthen, Divan Fuller and JC Mars, while their Junior Boks teammates from a few weeks ago, lock Batho Hlekani and centre Jurenzo Julius, are set to run out against them tomorrow.

Speaking in a Sharks conference yesterday, head coach Pietersen told reporters: “Province and us have been in the similar boat by trying to blood young players coming through.

“Unfortunately results haven’t gone their way but they have played very well in the couple of games I’ve seen. It was a very close game up in Joburg until the Lions got away with the game.

TEAM: Sharks get Bok boost for derby duel

“We expect [WP] to show massive pride playing in Cape Town, and it’s a group that’s going to be desperate to put things right.

“They’re a group that works hard and love to show their fans what they’ve been working on. The scoreboard doesn’t do justice to what they’ve been doing and we know it’s going to be a tough encounter.”

The Sharks last week pulled off a late victory over defending champions, the Cheetahs, to move into play-offs contention, yet Pietersen has cautioned his charges of looking too far ahead.

“We respect every team we play against. If you look at the WP team there’s a good group of individuals who, potentially, play very well,” the former Springbok flyer said.

“Come this Saturday, WP will definitely be up for it and take the game to us. We don’t underestimate our opponents, and will play the game as hard as we can.

“We were in a similar boat at the beginning of the season, losing three games in a row, so we understand what it takes [to turn results around].

“We believe we can go down to Cape Town and give Province a good fight, and similarly Province will believe they can beat us.

“It’s a clean slate now and yes, what happened in Bloemfontein gives us confidence but it’s a new game this week.”

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