Boks in the mix as Sharks eye Lions
Sharks coach John Plumtree is hopeful that his returning Springboks will make an impact when his team take on the table-topping Lions in Durban this weekend in a bid to secure a home semifinal.
The Lions have already sewn up top spot in the Currie Cup after an impressively consistent campaign, and Plumtree admitted that he was not sure what to expect from John Mitchell's charges this weekend.
"You get a choice when you're in their position – they've earned that right finishing on top – and I guess there is a temptation to rest key individuals because you obviously don’t want to risk injuries ahead of a big semifinal at home a week later.
"I suppose they'll do what they think is what is best for their group. We've been in that situation before and rested anyone who has been overplayed or carrying an injury. It's a very comfortable place to be; it's like having a bye week ahead of a big game," The Sharks boss explained.
Plumtree will not spend too much time trying to second-guess how fellow Kiwi Mitchell will approach the clash as he has enough to worry about ahead of a match which could define the defending champions' season.
He said: "We have to focus on our own game. We have a difficult enough week without worrying about what they're going to do. It's about getting ourselves ready. Meyer Bosman has a fractured bone in his cheek and could be out for the season. Adi Jacobs has a hamstring strain and could be out for a fortnight - we have our own worries."
Apart from the fact that victory will ensure that the Sharks play their semifinal at Kings Park, a win over the Lions will also be a major psychological blow ahead of the play-offs which is why Plumtree will not hesitate on calling on some of his Springbok players who could make the crucial difference on the day.
"This is a huge game for us, massive. We're playing against a side this weekend that has nothing to lose, that makes them dangerous. We're focusing on what we need to do this week and obviously integrating the Boks is part of that focus.
"All year we've struggled up front, and no disrespect to the guys we've had, but the opposition had bigger men. This week, things can change for us in that department, and if not this week, then next weekend," said Plumtree.
The Sharks boss admitted that he will feel far more confident going into the clash with players like Willem Alberts, Bismarck du Plessis and Tendai Mtawarira - some of the most fearsome ball-carriers in the game - in his line-up.
"We will go into games with more confidence knowing that we can carry some weight across the advantage line and more confident that we won't be out-muscled at the collisions and at set-piece times," Plumtree said.
"That will definitely help our strategy if we know we can compete on the gain-line and get across the gain-line with our ball-carriers as well as having big defenders as well," he explained.