The confirmation that Eben Etzebeth has successfully completed his concussion protocols and will play against Toulouse on Saturday is a nice booster for the Sharks as they prepare for a Champions Cup encounter billed as the Clash of the Champions.
The Sharks are the holders of the Challenge Cup and Toulouse are defending the Champions Cup after winning it for the fourth time last season.
Those who scoff at the gulf in class between the two European knockout competitions need only look at the lineup that the Sharks will field to know that they belong in the top tier — there will be at least ten Springboks in Saturday’s teams.
The bottom line is that the Sharks had a slow start in Europe when John Plumtree began his second term at Hollywoodbets Kings Park (midway through 2023 ) because he needed to cut the wheat from the chaff in terms of the personnel he had inherited. The players had to learn and understand the culture the coach wanted.
But once the Sharks got going they have looked unstoppable when they had their Boks available and on Saturday they will close to full strength bar the unfortunate injuries to Andre Esterhuizen and Aphelele Fassi.
The Currie and Challenge Cups have been bagged and Plumtree knows his team can go deep into the Champions Cup, especially if they knock over a Toulouse side that contains eight players who played in the World Cup quarter-final against the Boks in 2023.
The chief attraction, of course, is the little general, Antoine Dupont. He is regarded by the northern hemisphere as the best player in the world and an article in a leading English newspaper last week suggested he is the greatest player of all time.
Yet it was Pieter-Step du Toit who won the World Rugby Player of the Year award and many think that fellow nominee Etzebeth could be the best player on the planet.
While Dupont and Etzebeth could not have more contrasting physiques and roles on the field, they are exceptional in their own right, And while the team always comes first, each of them would be pleased to be awarded Player of the Match.
Dupont’s side is littered with French internationals, past and present, and they would like to strike a blow for their country against a top South African team. France is still smarting from that agonising one-point loss in Paris.
Plumtree will be telling his men that a win on home soil is imperative because next week they have a tough challenge in France. They travel to Bordeaux, who top the French Top 14. Bordeaux went above a Toulouse side that last week fielded a team with an average age of 21 away against La Rochelle and still lost by just three points (21-10).
The reason for the second-string side was to rest up the heavyweights for the trip to Durban.
Meanwhile, it is a make-or-break weekend in the same competition for the Bulls and the Stormers.
After a miserable start in all competitions, the Stormers have turned around their fortunes and will fancy their chances of beating Manchester club Sale in Cape Town on Saturday.
John Dobson’s team must cash in on home-ground advantage because next week they are away to in-form Racing 92 in Paris.
The Bulls have a tough challenge as they try to snap a four-match losing streak. They travel to mid-table Top 14 club Castres. Jake White’s team last won a match on October 25 when they beat Benetton in Italy but since then have lost URC games to the Sharks and Connacht and in the Champions Cup. They were surprised at Loftus by Northampton and lost heavily in London to Saracens.
In the Challenge Cup, the Lions are away to Montpellier and will do well to come home with log points. Their next match is at home to the Dragons and they should beat the Welsh side.
The Cheetahs are winless so far in the Challenge Cup after a 20-20 draw with French club Perpignan in round one. With a tough away fixture against Lyon next week, the Cheetahs will be targeting a five-point haul against Zebre, who are bottom of the United Rugby Championship.