The Hollywoodbets Sharks are looking forward to the challenge of Connacht as they prepare to get their United Rugby Championship campaign up and running at Dexcom Stadium on Saturday.
Despite the side’s recent success in the Currie Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup, the Durbanites will be eager to improve on last season’s disappointing 14th-place finish in the URC. Speaking in Galway, coach John Plumtree reflected on just how far the side has come since his return to the Shark Tank a year ago.
“Everything was tough last year. Coaches didn’t know each other; we were trying to work each other out. The group I didn’t know. I didn’t know their strengths, I didn’t know their weaknesses. We had a new game model that we wanted to introduce, but that was all new as well.
“It’s a totally different scenario now with a group of players [that has] a nice mixture of young guys and senior guys. They understand what we’re trying to do.
“We’ve got some pretty good leaders here that make a massive difference, and of course the coaching team is doing a great job. I’ve got them working really well together, so there’s a lot more synergy and unity around what we’ve got here.
“A far happier and more composed group if you like.”
🔥Your Hollywoodbets Sharks team for the VURC opener! 🔥
— The Sharks (@SharksRugby) September 26, 2024
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Connacht produced an inspired performance in their URC opener at Thomond Park last week, but ultimately going down 33-35 to Munster. Having pipped the Sharks 13-12 at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on their way to finishing 11th last season, Plumtree is expecting another tough battle.
“Like any Irish side, they like to play a lot. They’re very structured and, certainly on attack, they like to expose you in the middle of the park and they can hurt you out wide. They test your defence really well; they like to build pressure with the ball.
“They’re a well-drilled side, a team that’s been together for quite a while. Tough to beat at home here in these conditions, on a 5G pitch [which is] normally pretty cold. So there are a few challenges for us here, no doubt about that.
“They beat us last year in Durban. We could have won if we kicked a last-minute goal, but we played pretty well against them. They beat us here the year before [24-12], so they’ve got a little bit of the wood on us, so it’s not going to be be easy.”
The match gets underway at 20:35.
