Powerhouse Sharks side might succeed where Lions, Bulls failed

Sharks head coach John Plumtree has named a stellar team that could beat Edinburgh at home despite the Scottish side coming out tops against the Lions and Bulls in recent weeks.

Edinburgh knocked the two South African sides out of the Challenge Cup through victories in the round of 16 (Lions: 24–12 ) and the quarter-final (Bulls: 34–28).

This drew hype ahead of a scintillating final in the so-called ‘Biltong Series‘ and even had South African-born Edinburgh coach Sean Everitt simultaneously joking about the name of the imaginary series and giving it his full focus.

‘Really big task for us’

Plumtree said it had been six months since he had last named his strongest team to play in a match. Now, with the return of recently-injured Eben Etzebeth, Luykhanyo Am and Aphelele Fassi to the starting XV, and Grant Williams on the bench – joining a host of Springboks named in the matchday side – it is obvious that he has.

Still, the coach refused to be overconfident against a powerful Scottish side at home, who also play on an artificial surface that South African teams are not used to.

“Edinburgh is going to be a tough game, they’re in good form and their confidence will be really high, so we know it’s going to be a tough match,” Plumtree said.

“They have done a lot of homework around South African teams. At home, they are a very tough side. They have a pack full of internationals.”

He said their scrumhalves Ben Vellacott and Ali Price were outstanding, and the whole team was well-balanced.

“We know how massive the challenge is for us. We know winning any URC game away from home is massive. Everyone is fighting for points and have their own goals. This is a really big task for us, and we will have to play really well.”

Sharks adjust for kicking on artificial pitch

Plumtree said Edinburgh are also in good form at the best time of the season, while the Sharks will need to make note of how their artificial pitch at the Hive Stadium will affect play.

“We have played on it [the artificial 4G surface] before, so it is not foreign to us. But don’t play on it all the time.

“Certainly, the game is quicker and the bounce is different as well. There might be a different mindset around kicking.”