Edinburgh v Sharks: Everitt’s team to make it three in a row in ‘Biltong Series’?

Having beaten the Lions and Bulls over the last two weeks, Edinburgh could be tipped to make it three in a row against South African opposition when they host the Sharks in the 15th round of the United Rugby Championship (URC) on Friday (kick-off 8.35pm).

The teams collide at the Hive Stadium, where Edinburgh first beat the Lions 24–12 in the Challenge Cup round of 16 and then pipped the Bulls 34–28 in the quarter-finals.

Edinburgh were obviously the superior side in their game against the Bulls last weekend, something admitted by Bulls boss Jake White. He said his team’s lineout, which had been good against all opposition in recent months, fell apart against Edinburgh simply because of the quality of Edinburgh’s contestation.

Sharks won 3/4 against Edinburgh

Head-to-head, the Sharks have come out three of the four times the two teams have played against each other. Edinburgh beat the Sharks 21–5 in the URC in 2022, but since then it’s all gone the way of the Durban side. Most recently, the Sharks won 36–30 in a Challenge Cup quarter-final in Durban in May last year.

Head coach John Plumtree named a strong touring side to play at Edinburgh and then against Ulster in Belfast the following week. The team features a host of Springboks, including Eben Etzebeth, Aphelele Fassi and Lukhanyo Am, who are returning from injury.

But the Sharks are in worse form than Edinburgh. They crashed out of the Challenge Cup with a 34–21 defeat to Lyon in the round of 16 in France two weeks ago. They also had mixed results in their previous four URC games, winning two and losing two.

In their last URC match, they were far from impressive during their 10–7 defeat to Leinster at home and almost lost to Zebre, snatching a 35–34 win against the 15th-ranked side, also at home.

Everitt aims for three wins in ‘Biltong Series’

Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt – a South African himself – told The Scotsman his team was focussing on a good showing against the Sharks.

“We’ve got three South African teams in a row and the guys are labelling it the Biltong Series,” he said. “We’re two up and we’ve got another one to go so we’ve got to focus.”

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