Bulls’ Springboks hopeful wary of ‘proud’ Sharks ‘playing their best rugby’

Although they have very little to play for, the Sharks are playing their best rugby at the moment and the Bulls are preparing for a tough encounter when the sides face off in Durban on Saturday.

That is the word from Bulls hooker Bulls hooker Johan Grobbelaar after the Sharks delivered some excellent performances during the knockout rounds of the Challenge Cup.

Sharks in superb form

John Plumtree’s troops got the better of Zebre Parma, Edinburgh, and Clermont Auvergne before clinching a 36-22 victory over Gloucester in that tournament’s final at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London last Friday.

That result means the Sharks qualify for next season’s Champions Cup which has led to a school of thought which says that will not be motivated for their clash with the Bulls as they are not in the running for a URC play-off spot.

The Bulls are currently in second spot in the standings while the Sharks are languishing in 13th place in the 16-team competition but Grobbelaar, who was part of the Springboks squad at their recent alignment camp in Cape Town, believes the Durban-based outfit’s lowly position makes them more dangerous.

“They are playing their best rugby at the end (of the season) as we saw in this last weekend’s game,” said the 26-year-old. “This is a difficult time to play them. They are starting to play their best rugby now.

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“I don’t think they are going to go away. I don’t think they are satisfied with their season although they won the trophy (on Friday).

“They are going to want to finish strong this weekend as it’s a home game for them. They are a proud club, I don’t think they are backing off, so we have to be up for a big challenge.”

Struggled against the Sharks in Durban

The Bulls have struggled against the Sharks in URC matches in Durban of late and suffered defeats in their two previous matches at Kings Park.

Grobbelaar believes this weekend’s encounter gives his side a perfect opportunity to end that losing streak against their hosts.

“We are going to try to beat them in Durban,” he said.

“It’s been a while since we won in Durban. It’s never easy there. The conditions are a bit different, it’s always humid, it’s always hot for me and there’s always a bit of sweat on the ball.”

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