Hollywoodbets Sharks hooker Bongi Mbonambi says he expects the table-topping Stormers to come out of the blocks firing when the sides square off in the coastal derby at Cape Town Stadium in the URC on Saturday.
Mbonambi and his teammates are fresh off a 50-12 thumping of French Top 14 outfit Clermont Auvergne at Hollywoodbets Kings Park that, in spite of the massive scoreline, wasn’t enough to see them through to the Champions Cup round of 16. Instead, the side will face Connacht in Galway in the knockouts of the EPCR Challenge Cup.
Heading into this massive clash with the Capetonians, the Sharks find themselves sitting 14th on the log with their most recent result in the competition coming in a 22-23 last-minute reverse to the Lions in Durban in a defeat that marked the franchise’s fifth in the URC this term.
The 35-year-old hooker though believes his side are beginning to find their feet under JP Pietersen following their much-publicised mid-season coaching change.
“Since coach JP has taken over we’ve managed to get some good results, but we know we’re not performing to the best of our abilities yet. Coach JP knows there’s a lot of work that needs to be done.
“But at the moment you can see we are connecting well and the guys are getting used to each other. This weekend it’s a traditional SA derby rugby match, and everyone knows that it’s going to be physical and two quality sides going at each other for the whole 80-minutes.”
The Capetonians have won four of the last five head-to-heads between the sides and will back themselves to maintain that positive record on the weekend, with Mbonambi admitting that local derbies do carry a lot of weight for players.
“Whoever’s playing in a South African derby, you know you have to be physically up for it and also mentally. You’re playing at a different stadium [in front of] different crowds, one is away, one is at home. So you adjust to where you’re playing and make certain plans for the team you’re going to play against.
“Obviously SA derbies are very special; everyone wants to be part of it, everyone wants to play. But it comes down to the players that the coach selects and to make sure in the week we prepare well and are ready for Saturday.”
The Stormers have been in immaculate form this season, winning all eight of their games to date to sit pretty at the summit of the standings and looking as likely as ever to add to their sole URC title this season.
Having dispensed of the Bulls 13-8 in the Mother City at the beginning of the year, the Cape side find themselves in second position on the SA Shield standings ahead of the blockbuster this weekend.
Mbonambi, who represented the Stormers from 2015 to 2021, is well placed to comment on their progress under John Dobson this season.
“I’m expecting the Stormers to come charging out the doors. We know they’re a good side, we know they want a fast start. They’ve got some good quality young players coming through and obviously they’ve got some experience also.
“I do have some good mates there, but what happens between the four lines is a different story, and what happens between the four lines usually stays between the four lines.
“Outside of rugby, I do still have some good memories from the Stormers, still have some good mates.”
The Stormers’ superb mauling game has been at the heart of their success this term, something the Sharks are seemingly all too aware of.
Said Bongi: “I think the whole of South Africa knows how good the Stormers are mauling at the moment. And it’s not just this season, they’ve done it in the past seasons also and we know it’s a big weapon for them.
“For us it’s just making sure we get our detail right, the system that we have, and to make sure everyone does their homework, watches the video clips and we might see some opportunity, how to stop it.
“But we also have a mauling weapon which we believe strongly in.”
Although Pietersen, to the frustration of some supporters, has chopped and changed his teams a number of times since he took over, Mbonambi says it is necessary and part of the bigger picture.
“For us players and coach JP also, every game matters and I’m sure that goes the same for every union out there, in both competitions. You want to win all the games out there, but at times you are going to lose some games. And as we said, you earmark certain games, and the derbies are the important big ones to get a good result.
“Having said that, the way coach JP is going, trying to build depth, trying to get the youngsters to perform at URC and Champions Cup level, that’s important in the long run.”
