DURBAN - If the Sharks needed a welcome dose of inspiration to beat the Bulls in a crunch Currie Cup clash in Durban on Saturday, it has appeared in the form of captain Lukhanyo Am, who is back in training after a hand injury.
The Springbok is just one of a host of first-choice players that coach Sean Everitt has at his disposal after a number of players returned from the isolation that sunk the Super Rugby Unlocked match against the Stormers and almost the Currie Cup opener against the Pumas.
Last week’s bye for the Durban team mean Everitt could get back strength in depth, especially at tigthead prop and loose forward where the Sharks were heavily hit, and then the recovery of his World-Cup winner at centre is an added bonus.
Last week, Everitt took the Sharks to the KZN midlands for a training camp so that he could both keep his players in healthy isolation while also focusing sharply on a game the Sharks are treating as a final.
If the second-placed Sharks hope to have any chance of overhauling the Bulls at the top of the Currie Cup log, they simply have to win on Saturday. The Bulls are eight points clear of the Sharks but have not had their bye yet, so if the Sharks win they will make up a fair distance on the log.
As important as log points is the significant matter of pride. It is no secret that the Sharks were stung by the two 40-point hidings they have have been dealt by the Bulls at Loftus since rugby resumed — the Superfan warm-up game and then in SR Unlocked.
#OurSharks bringing the heat ahead of this Saturday’s game 🔥#OurSharksForever pic.twitter.com/akp6ubK8Dk
— The Sharks (@TheSharksZA) December 8, 2020
“The players feel they let themselves down in those games and it is fair to say they want to prove a point on Saturday,” CEO Ed Coetzee said yesterday after having also confirmed that the Sharks had returned no positive Covid-19 tests.
“We have a clean bill of health — all 75 of us who were tested, passed,” Coetzee said. “That gives Sean close to a full squad to pick from for a match that is vital for us.”
The coach suddenly has a flood of loose forward options — back from isolation are Henco Venter, James Venter, Phepsi Buthlezi , Sikhumbuzo Notshe and Celimhili Gumede.
The stock of tightheads is also replenished by the return of John-Hubert Meyer and Michael Kumberai, while Thomas du Toit, who made his comeback from a calf injury against the Pumas, will now be able to play longer than the 40 minutes he was restricted to in that game.
@MikeGreenaway67