Sharks prop Du Toit on home URC playoffs: 'Its value can't be underestimated'

Sharks tight-head prop and captain Thomas du Toit made it clear their priority is hosting a United Rugby Championship quarter-final and not just making up the playoff numbers.

The Sharks may be hosting Connacht, who are out of the playoff race, on Saturday but still have to deal with Irish obstacles.

The Sharks were made to sweat by a weakened Leinster side on the weekend and their last group fixture is a tricky trip to Belfast to face Ulster.

With 51 points from their 16 matches, the Sharks are safely perched in fourth place and a win against Connacht will put Ulster, who are away to Edinburgh, under pressure to keep up with them.

They will be mindful of the fact that during the Super Rugby years playoffs is something the Sharks weren't that good at .

When quarter-finals were introduced in the 2016 Super Rugby edition, the Sharks not only played all of those games on the road but tended to get hammered.

In 2016, they were carted 41-0 by the Hurricanes and lost controversially 23-21 to the Lions in Johannesburg the following year.

The 2018 and 2019 quarter-finals saw the Sharks fall to heavy defeats to the Crusaders (40-10) and the Brumbies (38-13) in Christchurch and Canberra, respectively.

"We're not aiming to be in the top eight, we're looking for a home quarter-final," Du Toit said. "We'll treat each game as if it's our last game and the only opportunity we're going to get, so the focus on the games is massive.

"We're treating each game like a final and the value of a home quarter-final can't be underestimated. We're playing for that."

That the South African side has fought its way back into playoff contention has been a heart-warming aspect for Du Toit.

The SA sides were not only getting the wrong end of refereeing decisions