Watch VideoBulls firm favourites in SA Derby but do the Shark have another fairytale Loftus victory in them?

SHARKS’ Jaco Williamse seen in action against Angelo Daivds of the Lions, will have to bring his A arial-game to deal with the kicks that will rain down on him as he takes the fullback position against the Bulls at Loftus. The Sharkshave had some epic wins at Loftus Versfeld over the decades, but they have been like the occasional oasis in a desert of defeats. Looking at the teams selected for Saturday’s penultimate SA Derby of the United Rugby Championship season (the Bulls are still to host the Stormers on March 14), you get the feeling that the Durbanites are going to need another one of those against-the-odds performances if they are to add to their special memories of Loftus Versfeld.

This might sound odd given that the Sharks beatthe Bullsin the last match between the sides, not that long ago, on December 20. And odder still when you consider that of the last seven matches the Sharks have played against the Bulls and Stormers, the Sharks have won six of them. But the reason the Bulls have the favourites tag is because of the momentum the home team enjoy while the Sharks have not fully restocked their ranks with Springboks.

Yes, Andre Esterhuizen is literally and metaphorically massive for the Sharks, and Ox Nche back at loosehead prop is a talismanic presence, but still at home with their feet up or galivanting around the world are Siya Kolisi, Grant Williams and Ethan Hooker, while Eben Etzebeth remains suspended andAphelele Fassiis removed by injury. The Bulls are approximating full strength, even if some of their heavyweights are on the bench, plus they have the momentum generated by three consecutive victories. In their last game, the 52-17 demolition of the Lions, they looked like they had properly clicked for the first time this season, and that is why Sharks fans should be worried.

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Exacerbating matters for the Sharks from a confidence point of view, they marked JP Pietersen’s appointment as permanent head coach with a disappointing performance in losing heavily to the same Lions team that capitulated to the Bulls. The loss of Springbok fullback Fassi is a concern for the Sharks because the aerial battle at Loftus will be crucial. Handre Pollard and Embrose Papier are merciless with their pinpoint bombs, and you wonder how capable Fassi’s successor, Jaco Williams, will be in dealing with the kicks that will rain down on him.

We know Williams is fearless from his displays on the left wing for the Junior Boks and the Sharks, but he has no first-class experience at fullback. Apparently, fullback is his primary position, according to his coach, but that was back at school at Glenwood High in Durban. The Sharks’ halfbacks are not mugs, and this is a golden opportunity for Jaden and Jordan Hendrikse to convince Rassie Erasmus he was right in inviting them to next week’s Springbok alignment camp after both were out in the cold last year.

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