By Gavin Rich.
The Cell C Sharks are up against it again this weekend as they play yet another Vodacom United Rugby Championship game without their Springboks, but it is a situation that the newcomer to the franchise, Vincent Tshituka, says he and his fellow players relish.
The Sharks lost to the Vodacom Bulls when they travelled to Pretoria in the last game before the break for the international window understrength and lost. And coming as it did a week after the non-event that was the stomach bug-impacted clash with Ulster, the Durbanites have arguably suffered because of the way the competition flicks between full-strength and under-strength phases.
There aren’t as many international players missing from the Welsh clubs who play in South Africa this weekend as there are for the Sharks (nine) and the DHL Stormers (eight) but it is still far from ideal that the Sharks will be hosting Cardiff at Kings Park on Sunday so understrength. That is particularly so when you note Cardiff, although they’ve played more games than the Sharks, are ahead of their opponents currently on the URC log.
But the fact the Sharks so desperately need to win with what could be described as an alternative team, particularly if you also consider the continued injury-enforced absence of another Bok, regular skipper Lukhanyo Am, is welcomed by Tshituka.
“It is the purpose of the unions to create as many world-class players as possible,” said Tshituka, who was one of the star players at the Emirates Lions before moving from Johannesburg to Durban during the off-season.
“We are fortunate to have 10 players (if you add in Am) now that are away on international duty. It is a good thing for the squad, simply because it allows everybody to get the opportunity to play during these next 10 to 12 weeks. It is going to be a massive squad effort … there will be a lot of travelling between games. We might not get as much recovery time as we like.
“Although we would like to have our Springboks back, it is a good opportunity to get everybody on-board and prepared for the coming weeks,” he added.
When the Boks are back, Tshituka might face some stiff competition for his place in the team, something that should increase his motivation to take the opportunity to start against Cardiff, which is likely. But he says he welcomes the competition for places and it is actually one of the reasons he moved to the Sharks.
“One of the reasons I actually came to the Sharks was because of the depth and the competition, as it is one way to hold yourself accountable to a world-class standard. You are surrounded by world class players,” he said.
The timing of Tshituka’s arrival in Durban perhaps wasn’t the best as it coincided with an injury that meant he made a slow start to the season. When you arrive at a new franchise there is always an adaptation period where a player needs to get used to systems he is not used to. However, although he has yet to really hit his straps in the black of the Sharks like he did so consistently in the red and white of the Lions, Tshituka reckons he is starting to make progress back to his best form.
“I am definitely finding my feet. Obviously, after coming back from injury, it did take a bit longer than what I expected. I am in a better space now. I am in a good place.”
Tshituka said that the Sharks are preparing for a tough set-piece battle against Cardiff, who come to South Africa with the confidence they gained from their victory over the URC champions, the Stormers, shortly before the start of the international break. It was the Stormers’ first defeat since February, and Cardiff achieved it with a solid forward effort allied to a good kicking game.
“The set-piece battles are going to be massive going into this weekend. Cardiff have a really good set-piece and a lot of their game is derived from the set-pieces. That is why it has been one of our big focusses this week.”