Saturday’s penultimate Currie Cup round, when the Cell C Sharks host the Fidelity ADT Lions at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Saturday at 19h00, is a crucial weekend of action as the teams all vie for positions on the log.
The KwaZulu-Natalians are unlikely to be complacent, though. A win against the Fidelity ADT Lions will ensure that they finish the league stage in the top-two – and host a semi-final.
If the Cell C Sharks claim a bonus-point win in Durban, and if the Airlink Pumas secure a big win over the Toyota Cheetahs, then Joey Mongalo’s side may take an unassailable lead at the top of the log with a round to spare.
Having fought their way against the odds and some fine opposition, the Cell C Sharks have worked their way to top spot on the log and that’s how they will want the pool stages to end before the knock-outs.
But there’s no room for general thoughts and looking too far into the future, says Cell C Sharks hooker Fez Mbatha.
“Every single game is important and it doesn’t matter where we are on the log. It’s all about keeping momentum right now and making sure we do everything we need to do heading towards the play-offs.
“We’re taking it one game at a time, making sure that we play our best, every weekend to give us the best possible chance of winning the Currie Cup.”
There’s been a praiseworthy run of wins and when winning is a habit, it’s one a team would love to continue.
“The mood in the camp right now is really high, but we understand the importance of not taking our collective foot off the pedal. It’s about putting in hard work, keeping momentum and getting better each week.
“We know we’re not quite at our best yet so for us, the focus is on continuous improvement.”
Having fought hard to a position where the team has won six games on the trot and accumulated points and momentum that elevated them to top of the log following last weekend’s victory over the Griffons, Mbatha provides some insights into the team’s recent successes.
“For us it’s been about momentum and keeping the same guys in the system, who understand the system so that we can execute to the best of our ability. I feel like we have achieved a lot of that, but there is also a lot we can improve on. Our game is far from perfect, we’re not quite there yet.
“It’s all about continuous improvement.”
Success isn’t just derived from performance, but a collective positive vibe, which is something the Cell C Sharks hooker acknowledges.
“It’s an awesome environment to be in, we’re all aligned towards one goal and when you have that, you all work towards a common goal. There’s a lot of hard work taking place behind the scenes, we’re working hard to get better and better at the small things.
“The mood is good, but it’s only good when you’re putting in the hard work. And we are.”
Fidelity ADT Lions made three changes to their starting line-up.
Up front, several rotational changes were made. Morne Brandon replaces PJ Botha at hooker while Rhynardt Rijnsburger replaces Ruan Dreyer at the loosehead, with Dreyer moving to tighthead replacing Asenathi Ntlabakanye who drops to the bench.
At the back, only one change was made where Manuel Rass replaces Rynhardt Jonker at the inside centre.
Teams:
Cell C Sharks: 15 Nevaldo Fleurs, 14 Yaw Penxe, 13 Murray Koster, 12 Alwayno Visagie, 11 Aphelele Fassi, 10 Lionel Cronje, 9 Tiaan Fourie, 8 Henco Venrter, 7 James Venter, 6 Dylan Richardson, 5 Reniel Hugo (c), 4 Ockie Barnard, 3 Ntuthukho Mchunu, 2 Dameon Venter, 1 Dian Bleuler. Replacements: 16 Kerron van Vuuren, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Hanro Jacobs, 19 Marco de Witt, 20 Vincent Tshituka, 21 Bradley Davids, 22 Rohan Janse van Rensburg, 23 Marnus Potgieter.
Fidelity ADT Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Boldwin Hansen, 13 Rynardt Jonker, 12 Marius Louw (c), 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Gianni Lombard, 9 Sanele Nohamba, 8 Francke Horn, 7 Ruan Venter, 6 JC Pretorius, 5 Darrien-Lane Landsberg, 4 Ruben Schoeman, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Morne Brandon, 1 Rhynardt Rijnsburger. Replacements: 16 Jaco Visagie, 17 Margan Naude, 18 Asenathi Ntlabakanye 19 Raynard Roets, 20 Emmanuel Tshituka, 21 Morne van der Bergh, 22 Rynhardt Jonker, 23 Andries Coetzee.