Bottoms up: Last placed Sharks send a warning to the Stormers ahead of coastal derby
|Published
Bring it on: Lukhanyo Am, left. Picture: Steve Haag Sports/INPHO/Shutterstock
Sharks skipper Lukhanyo Am warns the Stormers wie laaste lag, lag die lekkerste, ahead of Saturday’s coastal derby in the United Rugby Championship at Kings Park (5:05pm).
The Stormers are in seventh place on the URC log, and have already beat the Haaie this season, in a 16-15 win at Cape Town Stadium over the festive season.
Despite the Sharks’ challenging position at the bottom of the table, Am emphasised the significance of this weekend’s battle, stating: “Hosting the Stormers at home will be very big for us. We are showing parts of our game that’s really improving, and there should be a big crowd.
“It’s not the ideal position that we would’ve loved to be in [but] the intention won’t change, we’ll still go out there to do our best.
“For the rest of our games that are left the mindset is to get the win and get the points and climb up the ladder.”
Ben Loader feels right at home in the DHL Stormers backline as the Englishman embraces new challenges and exciting opportunities in the upcoming @Vodacom #URC derbies. #iamastormer #dhldelivers https://t.co/WlJPrQFxBe
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) February 15, 2024
Stormers loosehead prop Sti Sithole, recognised the Sharks’ likely hunger for revenge after their narrow loss in December, saying: “I’m sure they [the Sharks] will look at that game and look at where they got hurt the most. They will come with some extra vengeance there; we’re aware of that and we’ll also come with a bit of fire.”
He also highlights the tough nature of their scrum sessions and praised the team’s high-performance culture.
Sithole adds: “We push each other to the max and really test each other. It all starts at training, there’s a great cohesion within our pack and anyone can slot in and do it well.
“[Our scrum sessions] help to put our performances up there. And the culture all together, that’s our secret at the moment.”