The Sharks hope to pick up where they left off when rugby was suspended in March and play an exciting brand of rugby.
Sharks number eight Sikhumbuzo Notshe says that the squad look forward to getting out on the park again this weekend and they want to entertain their fans in the process.
The Sharks want to thrill
When the 2020 Super Rugby season was suspended, the Sharks had just returned from a successful trip Downunder and were on top of the overall log. They had also been playing thrilling attacking rugby which Notshe says they will look to emulate.
“I don’t think we’ll change our identity for the next block of rugby,” Notshe said.
“We played some exciting rugby through those seven games of Super Rugby and there was some learning and things to work on which we’ve looked at in reviews. Things like working harder off the ball and polishing up on our rugby basics. But there isn’t much to change, just sharpen up on our game and show urgency in everything we do.”
The Sharks will have to adapt after a string of injuries to their dangerous outside backs and the short-term loan of Makazole Mapimpi to the NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes in Japan.
It’s a new day
Notshe says that the Sharks don’t want to dwell on the past and are focused on performing. The former Stormers loose forward has reinvigorated his career since making a move to Durban and doesn’t want to stagnate.
“We can’t remain in the past, we last played in March, all of the provinces have loaded up on new players, we’re aware of that and this is a clean slate now, for everyone, including me,” Notshe said.
“We just need to focus on our game plan and ourselves and make sure we nail our roles and play the Sharks brand, with urgency and speed.”
The Bulls await
Notshe expects a real battle when the Sharks restart their season against the Bulls on Saturday.
“They’re a quality outfit, we know they’ll mix it up, given what they have in their cabinet,” he said.
“They have some big ball carrier, some slick backs and a good mix of youngsters and experience. I think they’ll probably play a well-balanced game between mauling and kicking with a good running game plan thrown in to the mix. We just need to stop whatever comes our way.”
Notshe said that the Sharks primary focus in their match against the Bulls will be to put in their best possible performance, with the result a secondary concern.
“One of the things we strive towards is performance, we’re not a team that is results-based,” the Sharks forward added.
“While results are important for obvious reasons, we believe that if we perform well, we’ll get the results. In order to perform well, we have to make sure we’re good in all areas of the game and try to tick a box in every area.”
