Sharks ready for a red-hot opener

Ken Borland

Prop Coenie Oosthuizen (right) is a larger-than-life character who enjoys having fun off the field, but is deadly serious when it comes to stamping his mark on a game, something he says will be crucial when the Sharks take on the Sunwolves in their Super Rugby opener in Singapore on Saturday.

“This game is going to be a lot harder than people think.

“Playing the Sunwolves away is never easy. They can stop your pack at scrum time and they can maul, so underestimating them would be a huge mistake.

“So we are not taking this game lightly and we have to start on a high. You can’t be playing catchup rugby over there,” he said.

Conditions in Singapore will be harsh, with temperatures of over 30oC and high humidity expect- ed, but Oosthuizen says it won’t be anything they are not used to, given how hard they have been working in the height of Durban’s sub-tropical summer.

“Playing in Ballito last weekend, it was extremely hot, so we will be well prepared for Saturday’s conditions. We have ticked all the boxes, so it will be the same for both teams.

“Mentally we are prepared because in pre-season we worked on every possible thing, the coaches really got into the nitty gritty,” the Springbok with 30 Test caps said.

The Sharks could name a starting XV featuring an all-Springbok front row and the rest of the backline could all be players who have played Test rugby.

But Oosthuizen reckons it is their bench that could make the difference for them this season.

“The depth of our squad is going to contribute to our success and our bench is going to be our strength, for sure.

“The amount of talent is phenomenal. As a pack we have the depth other teams strive to have and that also goes for our backline.

“There are a lot of young players putting the seniors under pressure,” he said.

5.15pm Bulls v Stormers

Loftus The Stormers have a poor away record but have had the number on the Bulls, winning three from the last four. The Bulls could prove why there is a new, promising horizon on the cards, but then they will have to fix their occasional soft defence and scrum woes.

Prediction: Stormers by less than eight.

11.40pm Jaguares v Lions

Buenos Aires It could be the Lions’ best chance to break their run of three defeats at this venue, with the Jags normally being slow starters. They have a new coach in Gonzalo Quesada but lost their biggest playmaker in flyhalf Nicolás Sánchez. The Lions need to fix their discipline.

Prediction: Lions by less than seven.