Sharks Must Cash In On Elite Lifeline

On Saturday, the Sharks make their debut in the Champions Cup, the ultimate competition in the northern hemisphere and the good turnout expected at Kings Park should be remind us of the miracle that their team is entertaining the Exeter Chiefs.

Last season, the Sharks came nowhere close to qualifying for the Top 8 of the United Rugby Championship which would have given them passage into the elite Champions Cup. They had grappled with the new game plan and culture coach John Plumtree was instilling but at the end of the season, they settled down and began a run that saw them win the Currie Cup and beat Gloucester in the Challenge Cup final.

Hence their automatic passage into the Champions Cup, albeit via the back door.

At the weekend, after the Sharks had smuggled a United Rugby Championship win over the Stormers, Plumtree said: We want to win the big competitions. We are in the Champions Cup and we have major ambitions.