Sharks are confident of bouncing back from Leinster against Lyon in Challenge Cup

The Sharks’ defence of their Challenge Cup title begins in earnest on Sunday when they travel to Lyon for a last-16 match, and Sharks assistant coach Joey Mongalo says his team is in good shape despite a humbling loss to Leinster last week.

Sharks fans have been scratching their heads as to why a close to full-strength Sharks team lost at home to a Leinster side devoid of their big Ireland stars and packed with Academy players.

But defence coach Mongalo says the team sees things differently and they travel to France with their confidence intact.

“We’re a group that puts things in context,” he said. “That Leinster team we played against, irrespective of their missing Ireland internationals, was a top-quality team. You saw that the previous week at Loftus when the Bulls had to kick a penalty in the last minute to beat them.”

Mongalo feels the positives of the Sharks’ performance outweigh the negatives.

“There were quite a few positive points we took from the game,” he said. “Our kicking and game management were nine out of 10. On attack, we created plenty of opportunities, we just didn’t execute some of them. It’s more about finishing than the actual attack, which was very good.

“And defensively, I thought the boys put in some good sets. There was a three-minute defensive set on our own tryline, which says a lot about this group – how they’re growing and how much they care for each other.”

Lyon are mid-table in the French Top 14 and have won three of their four Challenge Cup matches. They lost last week to Bayonne — the team the Bulls visit on Saturday night — but they are famously difficult to beat at their Malmut Stadium.

“Anyone who follows the Top 14 will see that teams win at home, even teams that are struggling,” Mongalo said.

"They put so much emphasis on winning at home and take massive pride in how they perform in front of their fans. So we can expect a hostile crowd and a passionate group that we play against. We know what’s coming and will make sure we’re mentally ready for it.”

“Like a typical French side, Lyon have got a lot of French flair,” he added.

“They’ve got X-factor players, especially in their backs. And their forwards are large units, which will help them set-piece-wise. They’re a strong scrummaging team and maul well.”

The Sharks will again be without Springbok stars Eben Etzebeth and Aphelele Fassi, with Mongalo saying the pair are not fully over their injuries.

The Sharks are at the stage of the season where it is difficult to focus on two competitions at the same time.

They are in fourth place on the United Rugby Championship log and want to push hard for a home playoff,

“I think it’s something teams are still trying to figure out,” Mongalo said of playing in concurrent competitions.

“We’ve got to think about Edinburgh and Ulster in two weeks, but at the same time we’ve got to honour a good quality competition in the Challenge Cup, and we mustn’t forget we are the defending champions.

“Even though you’re playing in two different competitions, you are still one squad. So a quality performance in Lyon will give us confidence for our next fixture, against the Ospreys or Scarlets (in a Challenge Cup quarter-final) or Edinburgh (in the URC).”