The Hollywoodbets Sharks will be desperate for a win against Oyonnax in the EPCR Challenge Cup in Durban on Saturday at 15:00 (SA Time) after suffering three successive defeats in their last three matches, and finding themselves at the foot of the Vodacom URC log with only one victory in nine encounters.
Oyonnax will also be under pressure to register a victory after suffering defeats in both their EPCR Challenge Cup matches and winning only five of their 12 matches in the French Top 14.
The hosts, however, will look to take full advantage of the expected hot and humid KwaZulu-Natal weather conditions and their passionate home crowd in what they will view as a must-win encounter.
Halfway through the pool stages, the Hollywoodbets Sharks play their final home game before a trip to Wales to take on the Dragons next Sunday before the EPCR Challenge Cup goes in the knock-out stages in the first weekend in April and a result at Hollywoodbets Kings Park will put the team on the right footing to progress further.
The Durban side is second in Pool 1 while the French team languish at the bottom with a 0 from two record in the competition to date and this match provides the opportunity for the Hollywoodbets Sharks to not only make their mark but to deliver a rousing performance in front of the home fans.
Head coach John Plumtree has made just two changes to the starting line-up, both in the forwards where locks Corne’ Rahl and Eben Etzebeth swap jerseys and loose forward Tino Mavesere replaces the hard-working James Venter who provides cover off the bench.
The backline remains identical to last week’s side.
“If we can get a win and then do the job in Wales, then we’re in contention potentially for a quarter-final which would be great, especially if it was a home game which is certainly the plan,” explains Hollywoodbets Sharks head coach John Plumtree.
“There’s been a lot of frustration over the last few weeks, we’ve lost some close encounters and we need to finds some wins to get the confidence up with the group to get onto a winning run.
“We’re trying to get our game going, the one that we want to play for 80 minutes.”
Man of the Match last week, Eben Etzebeth’s role this week is off the bench in one of only two changes to the starting line-up.
“I’m conscious of Eben’s game time, it’s really important that we manage him properly, so we’re taking away the stress of a start and bringing him off the bench some time in the second half,” Plumtree explains.
“It’s really important to manage that game time of our Springboks.”
Looking at their French opponents, Plumtree warns that Oyonnax are, “Your typical French side: they’re very physical with a good offload game. They play with a lot of continuity in their game, and we’re expecting a pretty tough challenge.”
It has been a challenging time for the Hollywoodbets Sharks and after last week’s 20 000 crowd at home, another big, supportive crowd can only be a huge boost for the team.
“It’s important that the fans believe in us, there’s a bigger picture to the plan that we want, that the Hollywoodbets Sharks are not where they need to be, but there are a lot of positives around what we’re doing here.
“It’s become a pretty challenging environment to be in, where the players are encouraged to be better professionals and we’ve put systems in place to improve their rugby, both collectively and individually.
“We have a really nice culture going and I have a group of players that are really motivated and really keen to get things right.”
Teams
Hollywoodbets Sharks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Werner Kok, 13 Lukhanyo Am (captain), 12 Francois Venter, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Phepsi Buthelezi, 7 Lappies Labuschagne, 6 Tino Mavesere, 5 Gerbrandt Grobler, 4 Corne Rahl, 3 Hanro Jacobs, 2 Fez Mbatha, 1 Ox Nche. Replacements: 16 Kerron van Vuuren, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Khwezi Mona, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 James Venter, 21 Jaden Hendrikse, 22 Diego Appollis, 23 Eduan Keyter.
Oyonnax Rugby: 15 Justin Bouraux, 14 Joe Ravouvou, 13 Leo Treilles, 12 Pedro Bettencourt (captain), 11 Maxime Salles, 10 Jules Soulan, 9 Charlie Cassang, 8 Loic Godener, 7 Hugo Hermet, 6 Filimo Taofifenua, 5 Ewan Johnson, 4 Steve Mafi, 3 Thibault Berthaud, 2 Benjamin Geledan, 1 Adrien Bordenave. Replacements: 16 Manu Leiataua, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Christopher Vaotoa, 19 Antonin Corso, 20 Ilan El Khattabi, 21 Souleymane Coulibaly, 22 Wandrille Picault, 23 David Odiase.