Africa-Press – South-Africa. Sharks boss Neil Powell believes they still have what it takes to win this season’s United Rugby Championship.
The Sharks currently occupy eighth spot on the URC standings. It’s the final spot for quarter-finals qualification but the Durbanites (40 points) are only one point above ninth-place Benetton, who they host at Kings Park on Friday night.
Powell’s charges lost 54-20 away to Toulouse in the Champions Cup quarter-finals last weekend, but the director of rugby is confident they can turn the tables in the URC, where they have won eight and lost eight matches.
“We were hoping to win against Toulouse and get into the (Champions Cup) semis. We still believe we can go all the way in the URC, and have the squad to do it,” Powell told reporters on Thursday after naming his team to face Benetton.
“If we get into the quarter-finals, we know we will play all the playoffs away. We only have two more games guaranteed (at home) against Benetton and Munster. We saw against Toulouse, that playing away in a knockout game is tough.
“We want to give ourselves the best opportunity to play for the cup.”
The Sharks only trailed Toulouse 26-20 heading into the final 10 minutes, before conceding four late tries.
But Powell believes they are starting to find their feet at the right time.
“This is only the third game since the Springboks have returned. We haven’t seen the best of this team and there were a lot of positives in the Toulouse game. We are building momentum. We know there are kinks to fix, especially with our defence, and we did speak about it.
“We are getting momentum and, hopefully, keep that towards the end of the season. We do believe we can get ourselves into a URC final.”
After Friday’s clash, the Sharks will conclude their round-robin schedule with a home game against Munster on 22 April.
“It is a must-win two weeks for us,” Powell added. “It is the same for Benetton to keep them in a run for the playoffs. They will come with everything they have. They have their Italy internationals with them and are playing a good brand of rugby.
“We understand how important this game is for them, but it’s the same for us. We can finish anywhere from fifth to eighth. The guys are really keen to be successful and give ourselves the best chance of going into the Champions Cup (next season) and URC quarter-finals.”
Friday’s clash at Kings Park kicks off at 18:30.
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