The performance of last week’s Carling Currie Cup Champion of the Match James Venter epitomises the culture being driven in the Hollywoodbets Sharks camp.
Venter’s moment of individual brilliance to score an important try in last week’s game was all about backing yourself and having the guts and determination to make something happen, pretty much from a position of minimal opportunity and turning it into a vital seven-pointer.
“it’s amazing what a bit of adrenaline and open space can do, it was just an awesome moment,” he admits.
But all of that is now in the past as the team make final preparations for tomorrow’s big clash.
Having played for the Lions before returning to the province of his birth and schooling – locally at Glenwood – he knows what to expect from them on Saturday.
In saying that, not much changes in preparation and execution depending on the opposition. Rather, it’s about sticking to what they know and how they want to play, and getting it right on the highest stage. Regardless of the occasion, it’s all about enforcing their game on the opposition.
“A final demands a lot more focus, you really want to strive to be at your best as a player and it’s a game that you can’t afford to make silly errors or miss your role or job. It definitely demands 100% buy-in and focus.
“Going into the game, we know how we want to play as a team and as the Hollywoodbets Sharks going forward and that’s not going to change from week to week. We have our DNA – our game model – and a Sharks way of how we want to play and we won’t go away from that.
“The Lions are a side that thrive off a good set-piece and get excited around moments of turnover transitions, so we know those are areas of the game where we need to be really good at. We can’t allow silly turnovers or opportunities to counter-attack.
“Upfront it’s going to be a set-piece battle, they love their mauls, their scrums, and those are moments that if we can win, that will help the scoreline go our way.”
Closer to his own position at flank, he’s obviously studied up on his opponents and acknowledges just what a fierce battle he expects – from both sides.
“The Lions have a reputation for producing some really good loose forwards and you can see that in their loose trio now. But looking at our loose trio with Manu [Emmanuel Tshituka] and Vince in the mix as well, we’ve definitely got a dynamic, explosive unit and we’ll stick to doing what we do, we have our Sharks model and what we need to give the team this weekend, that’s our focus.
“It’s going to be a good battle, one we’re looking forward to.”
While a final suggests a conservative approach to the game, Venter is adamant that his team are not going to deviate from their game model, which is to play exciting, running rugby that brings tries and thrills the fans. And at Emirates Airline Park, the pitch is perfect for that style of ambitious rugby.
“Looking at our exciting backline, we saw this weekend we put six tries on the Bulls with another two disallowed, we’re really excited to play on that pitch which fits into our model. We’ve worked hard in the pre-season and we’re really excited to be running out in the final, playing at such a prestigious stadium.”
