‘We need a squad effort to win this competition’ – Emmanuel Tshituka

Having picked up a thrilling 20-17 win over the Bulls after a difficult week, Sharks loose forward Emmanuel Tshituka praised the larger squad effort, admitting that was what they needed to win the United Rugby Championship (URC).

In the build-up to the massive derby the Sharks were hit with a number of injury withdrawals, with Bok stars Eben Etzebeth, Bongi Mbonambi, Lukhanyo Am and Grant Williams ruled out of the game, as well as Vincent Tshituka and James Venter amongst others.

Sharks coach John Plumtree also admitted in the pre-match press conference that they had struggled with sickness in the squad, which had seen a few players unable to train, and they were then hit with the late withdrawal of captain Siya Kolisi who pulled his calf.

Despite all the disruptions, and while the Bulls largely dominated, the Sharks showed tremendous fight to stay in the game, which allowed them to sneak a win with a late penalty from the boot of flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse.

Man of the match

Tshituka, who was immense, running and tackling hard while putting in a strong breakdown performance, was deservedly named Man of the Match.

“I am so proud of the boys. It was such a difficult week for us. A lot of adversity and changes in the team. A couple of guys getting sick, a couple of guys falling out because of injury,” explained Tshituka.

“But it just goes to show the strength of the squad, and it goes to show that we are going to need a squad effort to win this competition.

“It showed the character of the boys and how strong we are as a group to come out here and still get the win against a very strong Bulls side.”

The hot and humid weather made for tough conditions, particularly when trying to hold onto the ball, but Tshituka admitted they were happy to use it to their advantage, especially at the end of the game when defending a number of mauls on their line before the Bulls knocked on.

“We struggled with it too, but we want to use [these conditions] to our advantage. We want it to be uncomfortable for away opposition to come here and play, so we are just glad it worked in our favour,” said Tshituka.

“The forwards really dug deep there. We gave two penalties away, but we knew with just heart and desire we would win the game. To get the ball at the end was massive.”

Happy with effort

Sharks stand-in captain Andre Esterhuizen was also happy with the overall effort of the team, and admitted they could take that momentum into their upcoming game against the Bulls.

“We always knew it was going to be tough. Warm and humid conditions in Durban and we had quite a few disruptions in the week. So I am very proud of the boys. We were very courageous, we dug deep and in the end got the result,” said Esterhuizen.

“It’s hard when you are under the pump for the first 40 and your set piece isn’t functioning. But the boys stuck in and we got through it.

“We’ve got the Stormers next. Back on Monday and in for training in Christmas week which is a bit different. But we will get stuck into that and after the Stormers we will have a week break.”

The Sharks have now moved up to fourth on the URC table, with their fourth win from seven games this season, and are firmly in the mix for SA conference honours.