Sharks And Munster To Collide In Heavyweight Slugfest Quarterfinal Clash
Sharks And Munster To Collide In Heavyweight Slugfest Quarterfinal Clash
The Hollywoodbets Sharks host Munster in a fiery URC quarterfinal showdown. Two in-form giants with title dreams clash in Durban. Expect fireworks, drama.
Closing out the BKT United Rugby Championship quarterfinal weekend in style is a clash of rugby titans, as the Hollywoodbets Sharks host Munster Rugby in Durban.
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More than simply acquainted with one another, these two sides have met in some high-stakes fixtures throughout the first four seasons of URC action.
This Saturday’s clash has the potential to be yet another fiery chapter in one of the league’s fiercest rivalries.
Adding a level of spice to the proceedings is the eerily similar moniker of big-time, yet inconsistent performers that routinely is attached to both sides.
On its day, either team is good enough to win the URC title, while on an off day, they can lose to just about anyone.
Fortunately for those in attendance, both sides enter this clash in red-hot form on the back of securing impressive victories in recent weeks.
Team News
The Hollywoodbets Sharks have made five changes to their starting XV, as head coach John Plumtree names a bolstered lineup for their URC quarterfinal clash against Munster in Durban.
Springboks centurion Lukhanyo Am returns at outside center to earn his 100th cap in international competitions for the Sharks, replacing Jurenzo Julius, while Jordan Hendrikse steps in at fly-half for the injured Siya Masuku.
In the pack, Jason Jenkins swaps places with Emile van Heerden to start at lock, James Venter returns from injury to take over from Tino Mavesere at flank and Siya Kolisi is back at No. 8 after sitting out the Scarlets game on Springbok duty, with Phepsi Buthelezi shifting to the bench.
The rest of the side remains unchanged from the Round 18 win, with a powerful bench, including Buthelezi and experienced campaigners looking to make an impact in the second half.
Munster, meanwhile, travels to Kings Park with an unchanged starting XV for the third match running, maintaining continuity and confidence heading into the knockout stages.
Veteran center Rory Scannell is in line for his 200th cap off the bench, joining a strong list of Munster centurions.
Diarmuid Kilgallen, Calvin Nash and Thaakir Abrahams start in an explosive back three, with Craig Casey and Jack Crowley steering the ship from halfback.
Quotes From The Camps
Speaking to the media earlier this week, Sharks captain Eben Etzebeth said his side was relishing the upcoming match as a chance to test themselves against the former champions.
“We’ve seen in the past that playoffs can be tight affairs, and winning tight games is something we’ve done a bit of this year," he said. “Last year, when we ended up lower on the log, we lost those tight games, but this year, we’ve turned things around and won them.
“We’re used to those kinds of games, hopefully we don’t make it that tight on Saturday.
“They’re a quality side, and it’s probably going to come down to discipline on the day and who has the better goal-kicker. It’s going to be a very close game.
“A lot of guys got exposure this season, we’ve seen Ethan Hooker, and has been amazing this season, the front row off the bench have really grown and put in great performances in the last few weeks. So, there are some young guys getting more and more game time, and it feels that the more opportunities they’re given, the more confident they get and the better they play.”
Jumping onto a media call immediately after arriving in Durban, Munster’s interim head coach Ian Costello was quietly confident in his side’s chances, while acknowledging just how potent this Sharks side can be.
"It absolutely isn't a free shot, there's an expectation we need to be in knockout rugby, there's a lot of pressure to get there," Costello said. "But now that we're here, we're very, very ambitious on what we want to achieve.
"We all know that we had to get into the playoffs. We had to get into the Champions Cup, that's the expectation that comes with Munster, rightly so.
"I think it was really important that we drew a line under that first. We put an awful lot into that physically, mentally and particularly emotionally in those last two weeks. There was so much to be pleased with in those last two weeks.
"This group, over the last couple of weeks, have really shown how much they care about each other. It came out in the way we trained, prepared, what we would have seen behind closed doors and what you would have seen in the performances.
"You don't get the intensity and physicality of a performance like that unless there is a real deep core, and it means a huge amount to this group.
"I think that was huge to get that job done, but we've had a taste of playoffs before, we've played a few knockouts this year, more than we would have liked, especially over the last couple of weeks. That's set us up to have a real crack at this week, so it's a fresh focus and just really excited about playoff rugby."
Key Matchup
Power, pace and precision are the best way to sum up both sides heading into this contest.
Across the board, there is quality on both sides, with an argument to be made for either side having the better options in a particular department, save perhaps the Sharks' impressive front row.
The tightest of these head-to-heads is quite clearly the all international war of attrition in the second row. Both squads have lock combinations that have played at the highest level and would slot into any team around the world.
Fresh off being named Irish player of the year, Munster captain Tadhg Beirne and his current lock partner Springbok World Cup Jean Kleyn are the perfect foils for one another.
Kleyn is a bruising presence both around the breakdown and in the tight carrying exchanges, while Beirne is arguably the best turnover merchant in professional rugby.
Facing them are former Munster and current Springboks bruiser Jason Jenkins, who links up with quite possibly the greatest Springbok of all time in Eben Etzebeth.
Since returning to Durban from his time in Ireland with both Munster and Leinster, Jenkins has gone to another level since returning to his homeland.
Etzebeth’s accolades as a double World Cup winner speak for themselves, even if his season has been somewhat injury-plagued.
Going toe-to-toe in some of the greatest test matches of all time over the past three years, the battle between Beirne and Etzebeth is worth tuning in for on its own.
Prediction
This clash is going to come down to a handful of key moments, such is the physical onslaught that is expected to unfold.
At set-piece time, the Sharks hold the edge, but Munster’s previously shaky line-out has been improving of late, while their scrum has been solid this season.
In the halfbacks, Munster’s pairing of Craig Casey and Jack Crowley is arguably the best in the competition.
To ensure a real impact, Munster will need to, at the very least, get parity with the Sharks; failure to do so, and the powerful Sharks defenders will have a field day.
In the back row, there is little to choose between the sides, and the same can be said for the back lines.
For Munster, this week’s clash has added meaning, with three icons in Stephen Archer, Peter O’Mahony and Conor Murray all departing at the end of the season.
In addition to losing three of its greatest players, Munster is mourning the loss of key members of the Munster family in Michelle Payne and Sheila Foley.
Unlike any other side, these sorts of emotions traditionally take Munster to another level, and in a match that promises to be exceptionally tight, this could be the difference. Munster by 2.
Team Rosters
Hollywoodbets Sharks
Aphelele Fassi, Ethan Hooker, Lukhanyo Am, Andre Esterhuizen, Makazole Mapimpi, Jordan Hendrikse, Jaden Hendrikse, Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, Vincent Koch, Eben Etzebeth (CAPT), Jason Jenkins, James Venter, Vincent Tshituka, Siya Kolisi
Replacements: Fez Mbatha, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Hanro Jacobs, Emile van Heerden, Phepsi Buthelezi, Bradley Davids, Francois Venter, Yaw Penxe
Munster
Thaakir Abrahams, Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Diarmuid Kilgallen, Jack Crowley, Craig Casey, Michael Milne, Niall Scannell, Stephen Archer, Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne (CAPT), Peter O’Mahony, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes
Replacements: Diarmuid Barron, Josh Wycherley, John Ryan, Tom Ahern, Alex Kendellen, Conor Murray, Rory Scannell, Mike Haley
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