Sharks to benefit most from All Blacks fixture

OPINION: The Sharks’ match against a stacked All Blacks team will be vital after their disastrous United Rugby Championship campaign.

JP Pietersen’s squad will host New Zealand as part of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series in South Africa. Last Friday, their coastal rivals, the Stormers, put up a brave performance and held the Kiwis until the final quarter, before they pulled away and scored three more tries against John Dobson’s injury-struck side.

The Sharks finished the URC regular season in 10th position on the standings after logging just eight wins in 18 games and dropped out of play-off contention with two rounds to go after going down to Edinburgh at Hive Stadium.

The Champions Cup didn’t go much better for the Durban-based outfit. They secured two wins from four matches, beating Saracens and Clermont, while losing to Toulouse and Sale Sharks, which saw them drop into the second-tier Challenge Cup after placing fifth in their pool.

They crashed out of European rugby altogether with another dismal display in the Challenge Cup last-16.

They were kept scoreless in the second half by Connacht, who went on to claim a comfortable 29-12 victory.

This year has been disappointment after disappointment for the Sharks, who boast a changeroom bursting at the seams with big-name Springboks and overall talent. And that makes this match more beneficial and needed than for any other South African franchise.

Going up against the second-best team in the world will give the Sharks an opportunity to measure their progress and identify shortcomings, while also giving Sharks fans an opportunity to see their team in action against the toughest opposition – something they missed out on earlier this year due to their URC and Champions Cup collapse.

This match can lay the foundation for a different Sharks team, and the timing is perfect.

Dave Rennie has named a host of first-choice stars for the clash, while two players are set to make their debuts off the bench.

The likes of Damian McKenzie, Ruben Love, Jordie Barrett, Quinn Tupaea, Luke Jacobson, Tupou Vaa’i, Fletcher Newell, and Ethan de Groot will all be unleashed in the run-on side after missing out on the Stormers game, while superstar scrumhalf Cam Roigard will feature off the bench.

The Sharks, meanwhile, are missing a host of Springbok front-liners, with Andre Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi, Ethan Hooker, Edwill van der Merwe, Eben Etzebeth, and Thomas du Toit having all played in the Buenos Aires Test, while they also had to factor the ongoing Currie Cup Premier Division into their plans. An interesting subplot is the inclusion of 103-cap former All Black centre Ma’a Nonu on the bench.

Last season, the Sharks led the charge in terms of giving youngsters a go in big matches, and now, against the biggest opponent any rugby player can face in their career, the likes of former Junior Boks Vusi Moyo, Zekethelo Siyaya, Luan Giliomee, and Matt Romao will have to take on the All Blacks.

Despite having a number of exciting youngsters and the likes of the experienced Vincent Koch and Phepsi Buthelezi in their matchday squad, the make-up of the two teams hints at a one-sided affair.