During their last visit to Nelspruit’s Mbombela Stadium, the Ford Pumas upset the Vodacom Blue Bulls by 22-21, which will give them a lot of confidence ahead of their of their game against the defending Absa Currie Cup champs.
Furthermore, The Sharks will know they always face a fired up Ford Pumas side when they travel to Mpumalanga, having been on the losing side up there before. The last time the Pumas beat the KwaZulu-Natalians, was in 2004, and even though it’s a while ago, it proves that upsets can happen.
Experienced Sharks flanker Jacques Botes was in the grey of the Ford Pumas on that day in Witbank and is the only player from that game that will play in Friday’s fixture in Nelspruit.
Grant Bashford, Sharks assistant coach, said: “We were impressed by the Pumas at the weekend, because that Lions team hasn’t lost many of the players they had in their Super Rugby campaign. For much of the game the result could have gone either way and it took an intercept try for the Lions to get home. The Pumas have a big pack and some exciting backs, so it’s going to be a tough match.
Bashford added that The Sharks’ pack impressed against the Vodacom Blue Bulls last week and that they would be looking for more of the same this weekend: “The pack really put in a big performance and we were really impressed with their work-rate. That sort of X-factor, energy and enthusiasm was impressive.
“We certainly don’t want to put ourselves under pressure early on in the season and especially with some difficult matches to come. After a big effort against the Bulls, we don’t want to now slip up this weekend, so it will be important for us to get the job done.”
Date: Friday, 22 July
Kick-off: 19:00
Venue: Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
Referee: Mark Lawrence
The last time these teams met in Absa Currie Cup: 10 September 2010, The Sharks won by 14-30 in Witbank
This weekend’s Currie Cup matches:
- Ford Pumas vs The Sharks: Friday, 22 July 19:00 at the Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
- Platinum Leopards vs DHL Western Province: Friday, 22 July 19:10 at the Profert Olën Park, Potchefstroom
- GWK Griquas vs MTN Golden Lions: Saturday, 23 July 15:00 at the GWK Park, Kimberley
- Vodacom Blue Bulls vs Toyota Free State Cheetahs: Saturday, 23 July 17:05 at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
- Tasol Solar Griffons vs Regent Boland Cavaliers: Friday, 22 July 15:00a at the orth West Stadium, Welkom
- Border Bulldogs vs EP Kings: Friday, 22 July 19:00 at the Buffalo City Stadium, East London
