Sean Everitt Neil Powell France South Africa Durban Sharks Lions Rugby cup Spirit Sean Everitt Neil Powell France South Africa Durban

Sharks 'embrace' URC, Champions Cup travel constraints: 'We've shown true South African spirit'

news24.com

While Jake White and his Bulls have made a lot out of their travel schedule between United Rugby Championship (URC) and Champions Cup matches, the Sharks have chosen to embrace the challenge.Sharks No 8 Phendulani "Phepsi" Buthelezi said they've "shown [their] true South African spirit" in beating Harlequins with two players down at Kings Park before edging Bordeaux in France last weekend.The victories have steadied the team after locker room turmoil following the sacking of their former head coach Sean Everitt following an embarrassing 35-0 loss to Cardiff in Durban.READ | 'Whoever comes out the tunnel, we'll be ready' - Stormers unbothered by Bulls heavy rotationDirector of rugby Neil Powell has since assumed the full coaching and directorial reins."The travel has been really tough but it’s something we've embraced," said Buthelezi."We've really shown our true South African spirit when it comes to that and taken on the challenge."Yes, a lot of people have had things to say about the travel - what it should and shouldn't be - be we’ve really embraced it."We've enjoyed spending time with one another, and we've put a lot of focus on how well we recover as a team."We're in a good place and looking forward to Friday."The Sharks beat the Ospreys in the immediate Friday URC game after Everitt's sacking.The performance was iffy but they got a result that could prove a turning point in their season.The rest of the South African teams failed to get two wins on the bounce in their respective Champions Cup and Challenge Cup debut weekends.But the Sharks managed to win both games, which has boosted confidence ahead of their South African derby against the Lions at home on Friday (17:00 kick-off)."We're in a really good place at the

Related News
After back to back defeats over Christmas, a bonus-point win comes as sweet relief to Connacht and Andy Friend.
It's hardly an easy first assignment, but Joey Mongalo has been granted the opportunity to step out of the relative shadows of being assistant coach and be a senior head coach.
When Jake White - sometimes to some sceptical ears - talks about how his undeniably successful Bulls squad is still a young one learning the ropes, he'll cite Saturday evening's somewhat chaotic 47-20 defeat to a shrewd and powerful Sharks at Kings Park as a prominent example.
The Sharks have gone for a Springbok-laden starting XV for their New Year's Eve derby against the Bulls in their United Rugby Championship (URC) encounter at Kings Park on Saturday.
The Sharks scored five tries – and could have had a handful more – conceded just one and totally dominated the Lions in their 37-10 United Rugby Championship victory on Friday night.
The Sharks return to United Rugby Championship (URC) action on Friday when they take on the Lions in Durban.

Latest News

Change privacy settings
This page might use cookies if your analytics vendor requires them.