{"id":132029,"date":"2019-02-22T21:15:25","date_gmt":"2019-02-22T19:15:25","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2019-02-22T21:15:25","modified_gmt":"2019-02-22T19:15:25","slug":"preview-cell-c-sharks-vs-blues-featured-durban-blog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/preview-cell-c-sharks-vs-blues-featured-durban-blog\/","title":{"rendered":"Preview: Cell C Sharks vs Blues \u2013 Featured Durban Blog"},"content":{"rendered":"

Preview: Cell C Sharks vs Blues<\/a>: <\/p>\n

The first home game of the season gets underway on Saturday afternoon as the Cell C Sharks host the Blues in an exciting round two Vodacom Super Rugby clash at JONSSON KINGS PARK.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot of history between the two sides, going back to an epic final in Auckland in 1996, and since then, the teams have met on numerous occasions, with the Cell C Sharks holding the upper hand as far as success goes.\u00a0 The early days of the tournament were dominated by the 1996 champion New Zealand side, but in recent years, it\u2019s been the Durbanites who have enjoyed greater success.<\/p>\n

The big focus leading into last week\u2019s match against the Sunwolves was about getting our campaign off to a winning start, to avoid having to play catch-up rugby later on. Mission accomplished in that respect, but the importance of winning this Saturday is another factor to take into account given the season goals.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s massive, really important that we win all our home games,\u201d explains Cell C Sharks Head coach Robert du Preez. \u00a0\u201cIf we want to be in contention for the play-offs, we need to win every game at home. This first one here is massive for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

In last week\u2019s match against the Sunwolves, our forwards really fronted up and that control laid the platform for the backline to exploit. In a case of \u2018let\u2019s have more of that,\u2019 captain Louis Schreuder explains: \u201cEvery game is import upfront, we have to dominate. The Blues are a quality outfit and we have to try nullify the brand of rugby they want to play. Especially with the team they\u2019ve picked. So if we can carry on from last week\u2019s start, that will be great.\u201d<\/p>\n

What They Said:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Blues are a formidable side, we saw how well they played against the Crusaders, but we can\u2019t worry too much about what they do, we have to focus on ourselves. The conditions will be difficult, it\u2019s going to be hot and humid which should work in our favour.\u201d<\/p>\n