The Sharks have set their sights on ending their European tour on a high as they look to clinch an important away victory over Ulster in Belfast on Sunday.
While the Durban side can’t improve their fourth place on the log this weekend, a win at the Kingspan Stadium (8.35pm start) will cement their playoff spot and bring them closer to the Bulls or Glasgow Warriors, who are third and second respectively and facing each other on Friday.
So, it’s a crucial United Rugby Championship (URC) match for their playoff ambitions, and veteran centre André Esterhuizen has called on his side to finish their final tour match during the round-robin season with a flourish.
“Ulster is going to be a big, big game,” Esterhuizen said from Northern Ireland.
“It’s a massive game for them, their last home game and they’ll be very amped up. It’s going to be hard, physical, and fast. They’re a great attacking side, so our defence needs to be on point.”
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The Springbok centre led the defensive charge of his side in their narrow victory over Edinburgh this past weekend. Esterhuizen, winger Ethan Hooker and loose forward Siya Kolisi were instrumental in stopping attackers in their tracks. All three made some telling try-saving tackles when the side was under immense pressure.
The coastal side, playing with a Springbok-laden backline, must improve on the attack this weekend. They struggled with that part of their game plan in the Scottish capital. According to Esterhuizen, they must execute better to end the tour successfully.
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“We must be sharp on our attack and use the opportunities we create. We are looking forward to it and everyone is in good spirits. The boys look focused and ready for the task ahead.
“It’s been a good tour so far. We had a good week in Edinburgh and took a lot of learnings from it. The weather is looking good in Ireland, but it might be a little wet on Saturday, which changes the conditions a bit. But, we will adapt and are ready for anything.
“We trained on Monday and Tuesday, had Wednesday off, and just finished a session today (Thursday). We’ll probably have a small captain’s run tomorrow (Friday), but our training has been good.”
