With the completion of the Champions Cup pool stages, the Sharks’ focus now shifts to the United Rugby Championship and week 10 action.
With a game in hand, the Sharks are well-placed with this week’s clash with the Cardiff Blues marking their halfway point commitments in the tournament.
Cardiff, having played nine games to the Sharks’ eight are currently leading the Welsh Shield and occupy third spot on the overall log. They have 28 points from five victories, having played one extra game over the Durban side who sit in fifth position on the overall log, trailing the Bulls by one point.
Having experienced top-flight rugby in the form of the Champions Cup, the Sharks will have learned a great deal from their experiences. Playing quasi-international teams every week during the pool stages and beyond offers not only Springboks but also younger players the opportunity to measure themselves against top-class players and teams.
“I love playing in the European Cup, it’s so important because it exposes players who may not get a taste of international rugby to these kinds of arenas,” explained Springbok and Sharks captain Siya Kolisi.
“It’s a dream of players to play on a stage like this.”
Kolisi is one of several Sharks Springboks who will be in action this weekend at Cardiff Arms Park – also known to the locals as Parc yr Arfau Caerdydd – taking on a side with their own strong contingent of Welsh internationals.
Cardiff Arms Park hosted four games in the 1991 Rugby World Cup, including the third-place play-off, and also hosted the inaugural Heineken Cup Final of 1995-96. Besides rugby, the stadium has also hosted cricket matches, athletics, football, greyhound racing, tennis, British baseball and boxing.
Once again, it’s an opportunity for many of the young players, to do duty in an injury-enforced period of growth for the Sharks.
The Durban side will go into this game looking to continue their fine form in the tournament, as they go into this game off the back of a strong run in the URC, having successfully negotiated a group stage that included victories over three former champions – the Stormers, Munster, and reigning champs Glasgow Warriors – as well as losing finalists in 2022 and 2024, the Bulls.
The Sharks will enjoy a three-week break following Saturday’s match against Cardiff and enjoy the opportunity to bolster the squad with players returning from injury for the second-round, return leg match against the Bulls in Pretoria, before facing the Lions at Emirates Airline Park a fortnight later with the home match between the two scheduled for the following week at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, an exciting set of local derbies to tempt the taste buds.
