Kyle Steyn warns Sharks about 4G pitch and weather
Glasgow Warriors wing Kyle Steyn will be drawing on home comforts when his team face South African side the Sharks at Scotstoun on Saturday.
The Durban-based outfit, along with the Bulls, Lions and Stormers, have been added to the newly rebranded United Rugby Championship this year.
And South African-born Steyn believes the artificial pitch could play a big factor this weekend as he thinks the Sharks could struggle on the surface.
Something completely different
“I’m looking forward to it, it’ll be good to have these guys over here,” Steyn said.
“I don’t think any of them have played on a 4G pitch before and certainly not in this kind of weather.
“Certainly coming over from South Africa the first time you get out on it, it’s something completely different. The bounce of the ball is definitely a wee bit harder.
“So I think it’ll be refreshing in terms of the style of game they’ll try to play and we’ll try to match that.
“I think they’ll bring over some incredible competition, especially once they’ve got their Springboks back. Teams like the Bulls, they had a tough weekend but they’ll be able to bounce back and get really competitive.
“And going to South Africa and winning there is going to be a tough ask. It’s a big place to go to get an away win, so there’s the added challenge of that too. But I can’t wait for a full Scotstoun.”
Steyn is looking for a flying start to the campaign after making his first appearance of last season in April having been struck down by a serious hamstring injury in the summer of 2020.
“I haven’t had a pre-season in ages. I missed pre-season when I first came over and then, yeah… so this is the first one I’ve had since I’ve been in Scotland,” he said.
“And it was nice to have the downtime that comes before pre-season and refresh after the last 18 months where things have been strict through Covid.
“So it was nice to just relax, have a slow build-up and get the body feeling good and in good shape. So feeling good to go, which is exciting.”
Stephen Larkham keen to stay at Munster
Meanwhile, Munster senior coach Stephen Larkham has confirmed that he would like to continue his stint with the Irish province beyond the 2021/22 campaign.
Larkham and the rest of Munster’s coaching staff are all out of contract at the end of the current season but the former Wallabies fly-half revealed they are all keen to sign new deals.
Munster head coach Johann van Graan did not want to discuss his contract situation last week but Larkham’s response was unequivocal when speaking on the matter.