Sharks coach JP Pietersen eager to carry momentum of hard-fought result into URC

The Durban franchise looked to have stolen a draw from the jaws of victory in their Challenge Cup clash against Lyon last week when they conceded 12 unanswered points late in the game. But the Sharks rallied to score an 81st-minute try to break the deadlock and seal a memorable win in France.

"It was a rollercoaster ride last week and staying in the fight and getting the win gave the group confidence," head coach JP Pietersen told the press on Friday.

"The S & C [Strength and Conditioning] team will probably take responsibility for that after playing for 82 minutes on a fast pitch.

"But I think it all comes down to the good pre-season we had where we had close to 10 weeks together and a proper period to make the bodies robust.

"There's definitely a buzz, we also have a good leadership group who put in a lot of effort to make the group aligned and drive the vision of where we want to go, so massive credit to them.

"It was also a great way to welcome back the Springbok boys who joined us this week. We'll definitely take confidence out of the win, but the challenge is turning that into consistency in performance and that's something we've talked about as a group.

"We have experience, we have youth, we have guys who've come in from a different franchise, so there will be rollercoaster performances now and then, it's just about playing with consistency and we're looking for that this week against Cardiff."

Pietersen's selection on the Sharks bench shows huge respect for what he expects from Cardiff. There are four Boks in Ox Nche, Thomas du Toit, Vincent Tshituka and flyer Jaco Williams, who will give his team plenty of impetus in the second stanza.

"It's about getting the balance right," he continued.

"The guys arrived on Sunday and we had a short training week so we didn't want to rush everyone in. We also had a big welcome for Vincent Tshituka, who had a long stint out and that's a massive boost for us.

"Those guys [Ox Nche, ⁠Thomas du Toit,  Stephan Lewies and Tshituka] all bring huge experience, composure and calmness. Overall we have a good mix of seniors helping the youth when things get tricky, to keep them composed."

Pietersen is also under no illusion as to the challenge that awaits the Sharks on what is predicted to be a rainy and windy night in Cardiff against a well-drilled outfit.

"They made the top eight last year and have a good home record, so we're excited for the battle, but we know how hard it is going to be," admitted Pietersen.

"Looking at the URC stats, 80% of games are won by the home team, so it is tough to win away from home, but we have our Springboks for these two games, when we usually don't at this time of the year, so we'll take full advantage of their availability."