Loose forward Phepsi Buthelezi says the Sharks are in a good mental state heading into their all-important Champions Cup clash in Bordeaux. Picture; Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images
The Sharks might be hard-pressed just to earn a win or a losing bonus point in their last Champions Cup pool match away at Union Bordeaux Bègles this Sunday (kick-off 3pm).
Anything less, and a bonus-point win for the bottom-ranked sides who play each other this weekend, would see the Sharks drop from fourth to fifth on the log and get kicked into the second-tier Challenge Cup’s round of 16.
French side Bordeaux lead the pool with straight wins and three bonus points from all three games, while the Sharks only have one win and one bonus point from their win against Exeter Chiefs.
Bordeaux have already qualified for the Champions Cup round of 16 while the Sharks face permutations if they cannot go the distance against the French giants at their home in Bordeaux.
The French side also lead the table in the Top 14, three points ahead of a team the Sharks were completely outmatched by last weekend, Stade Toulousain (Toulouse).
They have in their ranks international stars capable of scoring freely against any side in the world.
So do Toulouse, and the Sharks talking up their ability to close them down came to nothing on the day. Instead, Toulouse’s own errors kept the final score down to a somewhat respectable 28–10.
This week, loose forward Phepsi Buthelezi said the Sharks knew they had their work cut out for them.
He said they will have to “roll up their sleeves” defensively as Bordeaux have scored more than 40 points in four of their last six matches, including their 69–17 drubbing against Exeter in England last weekend.
They also crushed a very strong Stade Francais side 46–19 at their home in Paris in the Top 14, the week before.
Buthelezi said Bordeaux are a quality side and have more to prove after not reaching the play-offs in the Champions Cup last season.
He added the Sharks especially needed to regain some momentum after losing to Toulouse in Durban and losing to the Stormers 24–20 in the United Rugby Championship in Cape Town on 28 December.
In fact, it has nearly been a month since the Sharks won a game, their 20–17 victory coming in the URC against the Bulls at Kings Park Stadium on 21 December.
“But we’ve turned over a new page now and are looking forward to getting stuck into training this week. The mood in the camp is really good,” 25-year-old Buthelezi added.
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