'It was quite shocking': Sharks prop shares his thoughts on Gastrogate

SPOTLIGHT: Sharks prop Ntuthuko Mchunu admitted that it was a big shock when they were not allowed to build on their momentum against Ulster last weekend.

That Round Six match against the Irish side in Durban was postponed due to a mass outbreak of "gastroenteritis infections" in the visitors' squad.

The home side were entering that match full of confidence after their big 40-12 win over the Glasgow Warriors a week earlier and some of that momentum might be lost now ahead of their big derby against the Bulls in Pretoria on Sunday.

"It was quite shocking news on Friday," said Mchunu.

"We had a really good week of prep and we had come off a win a week before and we were just looking forward to the whole festivities of the day and the team we were going to field.

"We were really looking forward to the game but it was quite shocking."

Despite missing out on some valuable game time against top-notch opposition, Mchunu feels there are some positives to take out of the whole saga ahead of their clash against the Bulls.

"We brushed up on a lot of things from last week and some players are going to be really fresh this weekend," said the prop.

"We are really looking forward to it. We prepared really well in the past couple of days.

"It's always a big game going up there.

"It's two South African sides going at each other, so we are just taking care of what we can take care of and that is preparing really well."

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Life without Boks

The Sharks will be without a number of their Springboks for Sunday's match as they will be travelling to Ireland for the start of the November tour.

However, Mchunu believes his team have shown that they can produce the goods when the big names are away.

"The team did well in the pre-season with the Boks being away and the squad has grown," he explained.

"Touring together and playing that side [in the Northern Hemisphere], I think we formed a lot of bonds on and off the field

"We were able to come away with two wins on tour and we showed a lot of character against Leinster.

"We learnt a lot from each other and I am looking forward to the rest of the tournament. We are still going to be travelling as a group.

"When the Boks do come back it does add a lot and they teach us a lot. I would like to think that the group that is staying behind do it as well.

"I think the combinations worked well together and we are looking forward to maintaining that spirit we had on tour and carrying it through to the game this weekend."

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