Titanic battles await Sharks before Springboks reinforcements arrive

It is a strange rugby world we live in when a Springboks versus Wales match kicks off during a busy United Rugby Championship Saturday.

The dew will barely have settled at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff when the Sharks run out against Connacht.

In Cardiff, the likes of Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Bongi Mbonambi, Ethan Hooker and Andre Esterhuizen will have just enough time to sit down in front of a television, with suitable refreshments, to watch their teammates kick off in Galway against an Irish side that seldom loses at home.

How beleaguered coach John Plumtree would love to have those seasoned pros in black and white for such a tough encounter. The weather prediction is for a frosty 3 degrees with strong winds. No rain is expected, but it is that wind blowing in from the Irish Sea that makes playing Connacht at home such a challenge.

The Springboks mentioned above will then enter a rest week while Plumtree takes an unchanged squad to Toulouse. There is talk of Antoine Dupont making his comeback from injury for the Champions Cup match against the Sharks.

At the best of times, playing arguably the best club team in the world is an Everest to climb, but a Toulouse side celebrating the return of the French national treasure makes the challenge stiffer still.

It is funny how the fixture cards have fallen for Plumtree and the Sharks. Having had a one-in-five start to the URC, which resulted in an off-field shake-up in the administration, the fixtures that line up now are a horror show.

The saying “when it rains it pours” comes to mind when you consider that after Connacht (away) and Toulouse (away), the Sharks return home to host a Saracens side that will have been preparing in Durban for this Champions Cup encounter for a few days, while the Sharks get back to Durban on the Tuesday after having played Toulouse on the Sunday night.

Saracens, with Maro Itoje, Owen Farrell, Jamie George, Ben Earl, Elliot Daly and others, are multiple Champions Cup winners and will target this match against the Sharks for a priceless overseas win.

Plumtree will want all of his Springboks back for this match, and not just back but with the same motivation to play for the Sharks as they did for the Boks. The following week, the Bulls come to The Tank for what will be a fierce local derby.

That means that in the space of a month, the Sharks play Connacht, Toulouse, Saracens and the Bulls. Plumtree is a tough rugby veteran, but he is going to have to dig deep into his experience to weather the approaching storm.

Knowing him as I do, he will be dwelling on the players he has and not the players he does not. He will be telling a squad that has a number of new faces that these opponents are to be respected but not feared, and, most of all, that there will be no excuses.

Plumtree, keen to prove a point, needs some of the more seasoned players to step up and take charge. The Hendrikse brothers, Jordan and Jaden, spring to mind, as do the always excellent Tshituka brothers, Manu and Vincent, plus Makazola Mapimpi and Marvin Orie.

The biggest problem the Sharks have had this season has been the lack of a compelling flyhalf. Siya Masuku, who is not on tour, has been disappointing, and youngster Jean Smith is still adjusting to senior rugby. It might be an apt time to return Jordan to the No 10 jersey and tell him to take charge.

Sharks tour squad

Forwards: Cebo Dlamini, Eduan Swart, Emile van Heerden, Fez Mbatha, Hanro Jacobs, Jason Jenkins, Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, Manu Tshituka, Marvin Orie, Matt Romao, Mawande Ndanda, Nick Hatton, Phatu Ganyane, Phepsi Buthelezi, Vincent Tshituka, Willem van den Hever.

Backs: Edwill van der Merwe, Grant Williams, Makazole Mapimpi, Jean Smith, George Whitehead, Francois Venter, Jadon Hendrickse, Jordan Hendrickse, Jurenzo Julius, Ross Braude, Hakeem Kunene, Le Roux Malan, Yaw Penxe.