Sharks boss John Plumtree confident ahead of Zebre clash

Sharks have claimed the scalps of reigning champions Glasgow Warriors, Munster, the Stormers, Bulls and Lions in what has become a home fortress.

Winning at home is a must for any team harbouring ambitions of long-term success, along with as many away wins as possible to add to the tally. Being undefeated at your home ground is not only motivation, but also adds to the visiting team's concerns over the relative impossibility of actually causing an upset.

For the Sharks, fresh from a bye following their bonus point victory over the Emirates Lions, this weekend offers another opportunity to maintain their home fortress.

"The boys took the week off after the Emirates Lions game, but had their own individual programmes," explains head coach John Plumtree, who is hopeful of welcoming back some major firepower in the next few weeks.

"For us, it's about taking it one week at a time, we'll be trying to get some of the boys back onboard which will help, Lukhanyo Am, Andre Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi and Makazole Mapimpi will hopefully all come back over the next three weeks."

With six more rounds of the tournament to negotiate, the Sharks are sitting pretty in fourth place on the log, with a handy six-point lead over the chasing pack, led by Munster in fifth place.

The bonus point victory over the Lions also secured the South African Shield, the Sharks' third trophy in the last year.

"Winning the SA Shield is an indication that we are heading in the right direction," says Plumtree.

"We aren't quite there, but over the next couple of years we will be."

Having been unbeaten at home, the Sharks go into this game against Zebre knowing that a continuation of their home form is vital. A top-four finish guarantees a home quarter-final and while the knock-out stages will not be uppermost in their minds, it will certainly contribute to their motivation.

"It's massively important for us to win at home," he explains "We love playing at home in front of our fans."

Zebre go into this match in confident form themselves, having won their last three games, defeating the likes of Dragons, Edinburgh and Ulster.

However, their form in Durban has not been as competitive, having lost on the two previous occasions the two teams met in Durban.

They went down to the Sharks 47-3 in last year's EPCR Challenge Cup, and lost 38-6 in March, 2022 and may be missing players who were involved in the recently-concluded Six Nations internationals.

Six rounds of the tournament remain before the table-topping Irish side Leinster visit Durban in the final game in March. Week 15 of 18 sees the Sharks off to Scotland to take on Edinburgh before hopping on a flight to Ireland to tackle Ulster, and then closing out the pool stages with home games against the Welsh duo of Ospreys and Scarlets.

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