As Vodacom Super Rugby reaches an exciting conclusion to the pool stages, the Cell C Sharks are only too aware of the need to maintain their winning ways and the consequences when that doesn’t happen. The Stormers, out of the running for a place in the play-offs, will come to Durban happy to upset the applecart and show that their credentials are a lot better than their log position (11th) suggests. And should they do that, the Waratahs especially, but also six or seven other teams will relish the opportunity of making ground on the Cell C Sharks. For the home side, another win will take them closer to their goal of finishing top of the log. Home ground advantage in the play-offs is vital for title aspirations and finishing in the top two also means a week’s reprieve from action in the opening weekend of the Finals Series when teams three through six contest for a place in the semis. “The margins are so small, last weekend, the Brumbies and Chiefs were up there, one loss and all of a sudden they’re now sixth and seventh on the log,” explains Director of Rugby Jake White about the fact that teams can be severely punished when they lose, given the tight race we’re currently witnessing. “But the nice thing is we’re back home and very excited to be playing in front of our home supporters and then we get a break; so it’s all to play for. We can’t ask for more than the fact that we still have our destiny in our own hands. In the history of the competition, only once in 19 years has a team that wasn’t in the top two won the competition. It’s a massive bonus when you play in front of your home crowd. We’re mindful of that, we just have to keep winning to get a home semi and home final. We need to use that advantage in our favour.” Being home is one thing, playing the Stormers is another and they know they have a big assignment ahead of them. Since 2006, the teams have met on 12 occasions with the Cell C Sharks winning eight of those clashes and the Stormers four, with the only Stormers win in Durban during that period coming in 2011. But still, with nothing to play for, the Stormers will want to deliver a performance they can be proud of, and playing without fear makes them a dangerous prospect. “The Stormers have been there or thereabout in every campaign, they had a tough draw and probably didn’t get the points away from home they would have liked, but since Gert Smal joined them, he’s probably relieved some pressure for Alistair Coetzee, he’s another sounding board to bounce ideas off. Sharks-Stormers games have always been tightly-contested and we always knew playing Stormers home and away at the back-end of the campaign was going to be tough.” The South African Conference isn’t quite sewn up yet with the Bulls 11 points adrift of the Cell C Sharks with three games remaining. “A win this weekend would be very significant,” White explains. “We always knew this eight week block of successive games would be tough, but the nice thing is that we control our own destiny, we just need to win, it’s as simple as that. We don’t need to do anything flashy, nothing different, just win. The boys know they have some time off after the game so they can put everything into this fixture and as long as we keep winning, no-one can catch up to us. That’s the situation you want to be in; you don’t want to be in a situation where Team A has to beat Team B for you to get through. “We just have to keep winning, we have three games, if we win all three we finish top. That’s a position you want to be in.” White has also confirmed the situation with Pat Lambie’s return. “Pat will, all likelihood, be ready for the two rounds after the June break. He hasn’t done any contact or team work yet, but come the end of June, he’ll starting fitting in again and come that first game in July against the Cheetahs, he should be available to be selected.”
Posted on: Sat, 31 May 2014 14:25:45 +0000
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