Coach John Plumtree says the Sharks must be better in the air against Leinster at Kings Park on Saturday than they were last weekend.
Plumtree was disappointed with his side’s effort in this area of the game in their 35-34 home win against Zebre, and said it wouldn’t have gone unnoticed by a Leinster team looking to bounce back from a 21-20 defeat to the Bulls in Pretoria.
“They will go to the air,” he predicted on Friday. “They would have seen that we struggled in that department last week. I think we won two of the eight contestable kicks and we need to win at least half if not a little bit more.”
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With Andre Esterhuizen regaining the No 12 jersey for Saturday’s match, Ethan Hooker shifts to the right wing, with Springbok Makazole Mapimpi on the left and Yaw Penxe replacing Henry Immelman at fullback.
Plumtree expressed confidence in his rejigged back three to deal with any aerial bombardment.
“We’ve got one of the best players in the world in that department in Mapimpi. He hasn’t had a lot of rugby over the last six weeks since his suspension, but he’s had a good week [in training].
“Ethan is a big man and we expect him to get up and contest [for the ball].
“And it will be good to see Yaw at fullback. It’s not his normal position but it’s certainly a position I’m hoping he will play well in and there could be an opportunity for him to play there again in future.”
While Leinster relinquished their unbeaten season record at Loftus, Plumtree was impressed with their performance.
“Against a side like them, every part of the game is contested. There are no real gimmies,” he said.
“The Bulls got on top of them at the scrum, particularly in the second half, but lineout time, breakdown, their defence and attack … you’re tested in every part of the game.
“And that’s going to be the big challenge for us – we’ve got to make sure they don’t dominate facets of the game and get on top of us.
“So yeah, we know we’re going to get tested in every area.”
Plumtree said centre Jordie Barrett – who he coached at the Hurricanes and All Blacks – had been “outstanding” for a Leinster team missing their Ireland internationals.
“His softer touches and putting players into space were really good, and just how competitive he is in every department of the game, whether he has the ball or not.
“He’s just an absolute beast when it comes to the collision area and his work rate is immense.
“Playing at altitude and probably a little bit warmer than they thought it would be [in Pretoria], the way he got around the park was unreal.”
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Coach John Plumtree says the Sharks must be better in the air against Leinster at Kings Park on Saturday than they were last weekend. @Vodacom #URC
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