Latest news with #EbenEtzebeth
Irish Times
19 hours ago
- General
- Irish Times
Unchanged Munster side for tough Sharks test in South Africa
URC: Sharks v Munster, Kings Park Stadium, 5.30pm, TG4 & Premier Sports 1 Munster have named an unchanged side for Saturday's URC quarter-final against Sharks at Kings Park in Durban. Thaakir Abrahams, Calvin Nash and Diarmuid Kilgallen start in the back three. Alex Nankivell and Tom Farrell, who has started every single game so far this season, continue their centre partnership with Craig Casey and Jack Crowley in the halfbacks. READ MORE Michael Milne, Niall Scannell and Stephen Archer pack down in the frontrow with Jean Kleyn and captain Tadhg Beirne in the engine room. Peter O'Mahony, John Hodnett and Gavin Coombes start in the backrow. Diarmuid Barron, Josh Wycherley, John Ryan provide the frontrow cover as Tom Ahern and Alex Kendellen complete the forward cover. Conor Murray, Rory Scannell and Mike Haley are the backline replacements, where Scannell is in line to make his 200th appearance for the province. It is a tough assignment for Munster, who will come up against a Sharks team with Springbok stars like Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth and Ox Nche. Sharks: A Fassi; E Hooker, L Am, A Esterhuizen, M Mapimpi; Jordan Hendrikse, Jaden Hendrikse; O Nche, B Mbonambi, V Koch; E Etzebeth (capt), J Jenkins; J Venter, V Tshituka, S Kolisi. Replacements: F Mbatha, N Mchunu, H Jacobs, E Van Heerden, P Buthelezi, B Davids, F Venter, Y Penxe. Munster Rugby : T Abrahams; C Nash, T Farrell, A Nankivell, D Kilgallen; J Crowley, C Casey; M Milne, N Scannell, S Archer; J Kleyn, T Beirne (capt); P O'Mahony, J Hodnett, G Coombes. Replacements : D Barron, J Wycherley, J Ryan, T Ahern, A Kendellen, C Murray, R Scannell, M Haley. Referee: M Adamson (Scotland)
The Citizen
21 hours ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
World Cup winners return for Sharks' URC quarterfinal against Munster
In total, there are 12 Springboks in the starting team of the Sharks. Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth at a Sharks training sessiont his week. They will be figures against Munster on Saturday. Picture: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images Two double World Cup winners as well as a rising flyhalf star are back in the Sharks team for their United Rugby Championship quarterfinal against former champions, Munster, in Durban on Saturday evening. Siya Kolisi returns at No 8 after a mandatory rest period, while centre Lukhanyo Am is back in midfield to partner Andre Esterhuizen, following an injury layoff. Also, rising No 10 Jordan Hendrikse returns at flyhalf to partner his brother Jaden, who'll start at scrumhalf. Kolisi and Am won the World Cup in 2019 and 2023. Munster were URC champions in the 2022/23 season There are other changes to the side that ran out in the final round robin match against Scarlets two weeks ago; at lock and at flank, where Jason Jenkins and James Venter returning to the starting team. The Sharks finished third on the URC points table while Munster finished sixth. Sharks captain Eben Etzebeth said this week that his team were in a good place going into the knockout clash. 'We've seen in the past that play-offs can be tight affairs, and winning tight games is something we've done a bit of this year,' he said. 'Last year when we ended up lower on the log, we lost those tight games, but this year we've turned things around and won them. 'We're used to those kinds of games, hopefully we don't make it that tight on Saturday.' Saturday's quarterfinal clash at Kings Park kicks off at 6.30pm. Sharks: Aphelele Fassi, Ethan Hooker, Lukhanyo Am, Andre Esterhuizen, Makazole Mapimpi, Jordan Hendrikse, Jaden Hendrikse, Siya Kolisi, Vincent Tshituka, James Venter, Jason Jenkins, Eben Etzebeth (capt), Vincent Koch, Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche. Bench: Fez Mbatha, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Hanro Jacobs, Emile van Heerden, Phepsi Buthelezi, Bradley Davids, Francois Venter, Yaw Penxe Players note considered for selection due to injury: Grant Williams, Siya Masuku, Trevor Nyakane
The Citizen
a day ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Sharks: Munster game may hinge on discipline, who has the better goal-kicker
Sharks captain Eben Etzebeth expects another very close game as the Sharks hope to win their first-ever home URC quarter-final. Jordan Hendrikse has been the Sharks' go-to man for goal-kicking this season, with Siya Masuku, Jaden Hendrikse and Aphelele Fassi helping out. Picture: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images Sharks captain Eben Etzebeth said he expected their game against Irish giants Munster to be very tight and probably be decided by which side has better discipline and the better goal-kicker on the day. The teams clash in their United Rugby Championship quarter-final at Kings Park on Saturday (kick-off 6.30pm) after the Sharks finished third on the table and Munster ended sixth. The Sharks are no strangers to just crossing the line. They won by three points or less in six matches this URC season. They also won once by four points and once by six points. That means the Sharks won by fewer than seven points in eight of their 13 victories. 'We are used to it by now' Reflecting on this, Etzebeth said that although fans have been frustrated this season, Sharks players and coaches have been too. But the past, and even the Sharks' wounding victory over Munster in October that saw their coach Graham Rowntree resign afterwards, did not matter anymore. All that mattered was that the Sharks win their first-ever home quarter-final in the URC, whatever the margin. 'We have seen in the past that the play-offs can be a quite tight affair. We are used to it by now,' Ezebeth chuckled. 'I think last season… we lost it tight [34–21 to Munster in 2023] and this year we actually turned them around and are winning them. That's the difference. A couple of points and now all of a sudden you have a home quarter. 'Hopefully we don't have to make it that tight but it's a quality side [Munster] and it's probably going to come down to discipline on the day, who's got the better goal-kicker. It's going to be a very close game.' Sharks have one of their best URCs yet The Sharks captain praised the back-up players who stepped in during the team's extended injury crisis. This included his own four-month injury lay-off, which he was grateful was over. 'We understand that some fans might be a bit frustrated. We as players and coaches are sometimes a bit frustrated with ourselves. But whatever happened before doesn't really count anymore. 'If you also think about it, I think it's the highest the Sharks have ever ended in the URC. It's actually one of our best URCs yet. 'We ended third with only Leinster and the Bulls above us. Historically, it was sort of successful but obviously now it's play-offs.' The Sharks are on a four-game winning streak. Munster have won their last two games, against Benetton and Ulster. Head-to-head, the Sharks and Munster have beaten each other twice and drawn once. All victories came at home, while the draw was in Durban.
The 42
a day ago
- Sport
- The 42
Sharks have improved but remain URC's most perplexing team
THE SHARKS CONTINUE to be the most perplexing team in the URC. Packed with Test-level talent, the South African side are a more balanced outfit than they were last season yet they remain prone to swings of inconsistency. This weekend they take on Munster in the URC quarter-finals, and the province will be well aware of the threat posed by the Sharks given their ill-fated trip to Durban earlier this season. That 41-24 loss in October proved to be Graham Rowntree's final game in charge. Having scraped into the playoffs, Munster will need to step things up if they are to keep their season alive this Saturday. The Sharks have taken confidence from their new-found ability to win tight battles, games they would have previously struggled in, but have made it clear they are determined to play when Munster come to town. This campaign has been a notable improvement on last season, where the Durban side only managed to win four of their 18 games as they slumped to a 14th-place finish. That return was all the more baffling given the Sharks managed to put together a brilliant Challenge Cup run, beating Gloucester in impressive fashion in last year's London final. This time around, they've had the look of a team who benefited from a full pre-season together. Whereas the Sharks were heavily impacted by the 2023 World Cup – not recording their first win until round six of the URC – this season the Sharks went into the opening rounds fully loaded. Advertisement They also added more quality to an already talented squad. Jason Jenkins joined from Leinster and the lock has been almost ever-present in the starting team. World Cup-winning tighthead Trevor Nyakane has brought power up front and Andre Esterhuizen has locked down his place at inside centre. The Sharks have also been playing with a new 10, with 23-year-old out-half Jordan Hendrikse recruited from the Lions last summer. Yet the headline signing was that of Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, who cut short his time in France with Racing 92 to return to South Africa. Kolisi is their top try-scorer and his presence has clearly helped lift things at the Sharks, and alongside other Springbok stars such as Eben Etzebeth, Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, Makazole Mapimpi and Lukhanyo Am, the team is backboned by a core of experienced, proven winners. Eben Etzebeth. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo That's all fed into a notable upturn in form. The Sharks finished third in the URC table, bettering last season's performance by 11 places, and winning 13 of their 18 games. Munster's task this weekend is a difficult one but the Sharks have not cut out all those old bad habits, and they still tend to give their opponents opportunites. They can be guilty of switching off in games and turning over the ball too easily, while their defence still needs shoring up – shipping 30 points or more seven times this season (twice in the Champions Cup). Back in March they needed a 74th-minute try to avoid a home defeat against a struggling Zebre team, winning 35-34. That sloppy performance left head coach John Plumtree feeling his team had made life 'easy' for the Italians, admitting their skills had not been up to scratch. That has too often been a source of frustration. A week later they lost 10-7 at home to a young, heavily-rotated Leinster team – their only defeat across their last seven URC outings. The Sharks finished strong in winning their four final regular-season URC games, but even some of those performances raised questions about their temperament. Now that it's knock-out rugby, they are determined to shake off those questions. They have managed to make Durban a fortress, losing just twice at home – against Toulouse in the Champions Cup and against Leinster in round 14. And they hope there is more to come. Injuries left the Sharks light at out-half in recent weeks but Jordan Hendrikse has been back in training ahead of the Munster game. If they click, they can make life very hard for Munster, but the province will head into their quarter-final clash knowing the Sharks still have a soft side which can be exposed. Earlier this week, Etzebeth admitted the players have at times been 'frustrated with ourselves' for a lack of consistency across their performances. Now that they're in the play-offs, and with home advantage on their side, they feel they can make a real charge for the title.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Munster's Calvin Nash looking to give standout performance in the Shark Tank
Asked about the trip to South Africa and Calvin Nash smiles. 'Good. Flew Dublin to London – Joburg – Durban. Got a good sleep. In economy,' he says. We all know what economy is like for 12 hours and maybe with that first-world kind of pain, Munster are asking their players to reach back for the base values they have exploited so well in the past as they face Sharks to sustain rugby life for one more week this season in the United Rugby Championship (URC) quarter-final. Munster have beaten Sharks before, just not in Kings Park, where the weather on Saturday is forecast to be 25 degrees and sunny. But Nash points out that Limerick has never been so much like the shores of the Indian Ocean over the past few weeks and if the weather is seen as a challenge, they have already slam-dunked that back at base. READ MORE Nash though, is less pleased with his own form than with Munster's canny survival instincts that got them here, with wins in their last two games against Ulster and Benetton. In that there was a bit of the old dog, and it is exactly what they seek when World Cup-winning Shark's captain Eben Etzebeth and his Springbok-loaded side steps into what they call the Shark Tank on Saturday. 'Ammm ... I haven't been too happy with my performances if I am being honest with you,' says Nash. 'I feel like there is still probably a bit in me. Munster's Calvin Nash and Craig Casey celebrate after Lee Barron scores their side's second try against Benetton at Virgin Media Park, Cork on May 16th. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho 'I want to have a lot more standout performances but look, I'm obviously not getting frustrated with it. I feel like I am doing my part for the team, but standards-wise I would prefer to be pushing myself out there and standing out a bit more. 'I think a few weeks ago I dropped off in beating defenders and the first man, which is something I felt like I was quite good at before. 'For whatever reason I felt like my carrying wasn't as good as what it had been, so from the Benetton game, I just tried to go back to basics and focus on that – don't be thinking about other things and just scanning a bit better and communicating a bit better. 'I have tried to just narrow my focus, work on my aerial work and beating people and just backing myself with my reads in defence – stuff that I feel like I am good at.' [ Jack Crowley passed fit for Munster's journey to Durban Opens in new window ] If it is a call to arms for everyone to unlock their potential, believe there is more in their lockers, it is a canny move from the Irish winger, who is a likely candidate to travel to Georgia and Portugal this summer for the Ireland team tour. They depart in early July with Paul O'Connell as head coach, with matches in Tbilisi on July 5th and Lisbon on the 12th. The squad will be without the Lions players and Andy Farrell as well as several coaches, but Nash understands that to book a ticket on the flight, the end-of-season knockout games - especially those in hostile environments - say a lot about the character of players. 'Yeah, it is a big goal,' he says. 'You set out goals at the start of every season and you don't really know what way the season is going to go for you. It is a big goal to get on the tour this summer but being honest, like I said, I need to get my performances up again and hopefully fly into this weekend.' Nash looks back to Munster's game against La Rochelle as one of the best he has ever played with the team, and any comparison stimulates his self-critical antennae. He believes he is not playing badly but where to find those extra percentages to have him humming and operating at more revs and with better accuracy than in recent matches? It is more aspirational than critical. 'Especially towards the end of the season, I want to have as good games as I possibly can do,' he says. 'I'm just trying to be hard on myself and want to push myself a bit more to get better and to be the overall player that I know I can be and not have any regrets. 'So, yeah, I was just putting it out there being hard on myself. To be honest, I don't think I've been playing poorly, I just have more in me.' In a hotly challenging weekend, Munster dearly hope that they have more in them too.
