The Sharks will be the first local team in URC action on Friday when they line up against Edinburgh in Scotland, with the Durban-based side looking to remain in the top four with the greater goal of securing a home quarter-final.
Match Information:
Edinburgh v Sharks
Date: Friday, 18 April
Venue: Hive Stadium, Edinburgh
SA Time: 20:35
Referee: Andrew Brace
TV: SuperSport
URC Live scoring: Sharks v Edinburgh
Despite being bolstered by the return of four Springboks in Eben Etzebeth, Grant Williams, Lukhanyo Am and Aphelele Fassi, the Sharks will have their work cut out against the eighth-placed Edinburgh, who are high on confidence coming fresh off EPCR Challenge Cup playoff victories over the Lions and the Bulls to book a semi-final berth.
However, with the KwaZulu-Natalians ranked four positions above the Scots on the URC table and boasting three more victories in their 14 pool matches to date, they will back themselves going into the match. While the teams are closely matched on attack in the tournament, the Durbanites will count on their superior defence as their point of difference in the match.
There will, however, be pressure on the hosts to hit the ground running after being knocked out of the EPCR Challenge Cup against Lyon two weeks ago. They also suffered a defeat in their last URC match against log-leaders Leinster, meaning they will have all the motivation they need to bounce back strongly and remain in contention for a home quarter-final with a few trailing teams hot on their heels.
Edinburgh Rugby: Wes Goosen, Harry Paterson Matt Currie, James Lang, Ross McCann, Ross Thompson, Ali Price, Pierre Schoeman, Ewan Ashman, D’arcy Rae, Sam Skinner, Grant Gilchrist (CAPT), Jamie Ritchie, Ben Muncaster, Magnus Bradbury
Replacements: Dave Cherry, Boan Venter, Angus Williams, Glen Young, Freddy Douglas, Charlie Shiel, Cammy Scott, Mosese Tuipulotu
Sharks: Aphelele Fassi, Ethan Hooker, Lukhanyo Am, Andre Esterhuizen, Makazole Mapimpi, Jordan Hendrikse, Jaden Hendrikse, Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, Vincent Koch, Eben Etzebeth (CAPT), Emile van Heerden, Phepsi Buthelezi, Vincent Tshituka, Siya Kolisi
Replacements: Fez Mbatha, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Hanro Jacobs, Jason Jenkins, James Venter, Grant Williams, Siya Masuku, Jurenzo Julius
Edinburgh Rugby Head Coach Sean Everitt: “Tomorrow night is another exciting opportunity for this team, in part three of the ‘Biltong series’! [The third South African opponent in as many weeks]. The Lions and Bulls were stern tests and we know tomorrow night will be no different. We know they will have 12 springboks in their starting lineup and a few on the bench, so we know the challenge they will bring. We will have to will front up as we have in the previous two successful weeks.”
Sharks Head Coach John Plumtree said: “The squad is back to full strength for the first time since the game against Glasgow which is good, that was a long time ago, and hopefully we will keep all the bodies nice and healthy in the build-up to the finals. We’ve had good preparation, although we haven’t played for a couple of weeks, and we just want to have a good tour, try and set ourselves up for a home quarter and potentially a home semi if we win our next four games. But for now, our focus is to do well on this tour. Edinburgh is going to be a tough game, they’re in good form and their confidence will be really high, so we know it’s going to be a tough match.”
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