Former Leinster-turned-Hollywoodbets Sharks second rower Jason Jenkins says his side is well up for the challenge of facing the Irish giants in the URC at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Saturday.
Jenkins, capped once by the Springboks in 2018, spent five years in the Emerald Isle, making 10 appearances for Munster and 39 for Leinster between 2021 and 2024. His experience of the latter’s set-up will be a big boon for the Hollywoodbets Sharks as they prepare to face the log leaders.
“Their systems in Ireland are really good,” said the 29-year-old. “The guys get coached well from a young age, I think they tend to have more focus on smaller groups because they’re not lucky like we are in South Africa, where every year we have so much talent that comes through. They have a concentrated pool, which gives them more continuity.
“But I think also from Leinster’s point of view, they all understand the game plan, they put in so much effort, analysis and work off the field, not just on the field with their personal skills. So I think that’s a big point of difference for them.”
Leo Cullen’s side fell 21-20 to the Bulls in Pretoria last week for their first URC loss of the season in any competition. Meanwhile, the KwaZulu Natalians pulled off their own one-point win in a 35-34 result over Zebre, despite producing a reasonably underwhelming performance.
Said Jenkins: “It’s always nice if you can learn while still winning. Obviously I think we made it really hard for ourselves [against Zebre], I think we just need to be more accurate. We had a good review on Monday morning and I think it’s small fix-ups which make a big difference at the end of the day.”
While Leinster have all but wrapped up top spot already, sitting nine-points clear at the summit, the Sharks still have work to do. They’re fourth but can’t afford to fall off the pace with five round robin matches still to come.
“We know what they’re going to bring,” Jenkins said of the four-time European champions. “They’re a quality side, everyone knows that. The guys understand their game plan, they execute well, so we’re definitely going to have to be very accurate this weekend in order to beat them.
“But I think we have the right plans and place, and we’ve got everyone on the same page. We’ve had a good few days of training so we’re really excited for this weekend.”
