Munster face seismic task as Sharks find their bite
The scale of the task facing Munster this weekend is seismic, with a star-studded Sharks side providing the opposition in Durban.
The province snuck into the URC playoffs by dint of that nerve-shredding final-round win against Treviso in Cork. And Munster's reward was a trip to South Africa to face a squad loaded with Test quality.
The Sharks will have the likes of Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, Lukhanyo Am and Makazole Mapimpi on board. It's a stellar cast of World Cup winners and household names on the international beat. Siya Kolisi. Pic: INPHO/Steve Haag Sports/Steve Haag
This team of superstars play their rugby at Kings Park, the 54,000-capacity stadium which was built for the 2010 Fifa World Cup. They have close ties with Roc Nation, the sports agency owned by rapper Jay Z and are bankrolled by a powerful US consortium.
When you add all those pieces together, the Sharks have the makings of a superclub to rival the likes of Toulouse, Bordeaux and the Crusaders.
But this Durban-based franchise have very much been less than the sum of their parts for a long time. Eben Etzebeth. Pic: INPHO/Steve Haag Sports/Darren Stewart
The club finished 14th last season. A massive underachievement for a team with this level of depth and resources. The Sharks have improved massively this term, improving by 11 places to finish third in the regular season standings, just behind the Bulls and Leinster.
Coached by New Zealander John Plumtree, who served as Ireland's forwards coach under Joe Schmidt for a short time, there is a sense that this sleeping giant is finally beginning to wake from its slumber.
But the Sharks remain a work in progress. For all the South African heavyweights in their ranks, they haven't quite hit their stride. Sharks head coach John Plumtree. Pic: INPHO/Steve Haag Sports/Steve Haag
Many of the players, including Etzebeth and fellow Springbok Andre Esterhuizen have admitted as much recently. They feel they are not far from clicking.
That could spell trouble for Munster this weekend. The visitors have endured some tough days in Durban. Earlier this season, they suffered a 41-24 hammering at Kings Park. Then head coach Graham Rowntree would part ways with the province soon after.
Two years ago, Munster were on the wrong end of a 12-try thriller at the same venue, the hosts prevailing 50-35 in a Champions Cup last-16 clash.
Saying that, Ian Costello's side will take plenty of confidence against a Sharks outfit which can be notoriously flakey. The hosts concede a lot of turnovers and their defence can be suspect. Andre Esterhuizen. Pic: INPHO/Steve Haag Sports/Darren Stewart
On paper, the Sharks should cruise into the semi-finals, but this club has a long tradition of failing to live up to the hype.
Long before the South African sides arrived in this part of the world to beef up the Pro14, the Sharks were flattering to deceive in Super Rugby. They landed a fair share of Currie Cup titles but the big southern hemisphere trophy proved elusive.
The Sharks reached the final four times in 1996, 2001, 2007, and 2012, yet they never got over the line. The 2007 defeat was perhaps the bitterest pill to swallow when Bryan Habana scored a stunning, last-ditch try to seal victory for the Bulls in an all-South African final.
Again, the Sharks have never lacked quality in their ranks. This is a club which has produced Tendai Mtawarira, the Du Plessis brothers, Frans Steyn, Butch James, Marcel Coetzee and JP Pieterson. Former Scotland out-half Gregor Townsend and French maverick Frederik Michalak lined out in the black, grey and white kit during their stellar careers. Bryan Habana scores the winning try during the Super 14 final in 2007. Pic: Duif du Toit/Yet this club has lived in the shadow of the other South African sides. It's been the same story in the URC, with the Bulls and Stormers leading the charge, with the latter landing the inaugural URC title in 2022. The Stormers contested the 2023 final (losing to Munster) before the Bulls picked up the mantle last season, losing to Glasgow in the league final.
The Sharks, meanwhile, have been floundering in mid-table mediocrity for far too long.
Many observers why this club have continually failed to impress. Speaking on the Boks office show, former Springboks captain Jean de Villiers wondered if team culture is the issue.'The Sharks have fantastic individuals,' the former Stormers, Munster and South Africa centre said.
'It is not a team. You don't see that team environment.
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