New low: Sharks to finish season without a win in Europe
· Citizen
For the first time since joining European rugby, the Sharks will finish the season without a win in Europe.
This comes after the Durban side lost 33-28 to Edinburgh in Scotland on the weekend, ending their hopes of reaching the play-offs.
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Even when they ended 14th in 2023/24, one of their four United Rugby Championship (URC) victories was away to Scarlets.
This season, five of their six wins have come at home, with the other against the Stormers in Cape Town.
Their best result in Europe was a 17-all draw against the Dragons in Wales.
‘Hugely disappointing’
The Sharks’ last matches before play-offs will be against Benetton and Zebre, both at home.
Even an under-par Sharks would be expected to beat Zebre, who are at the bottom of the table. But Benetton, who secured a massive win over defending champions Leinster this weekend, will be a challenge.
Coach JP Pietersen described their failure to qualify for the URC play-offs as “hugely disappointing” by their standards.
“We are learning as a group. This group is learning to win,” he said after the Edinburgh defeat.
“My job as the coach is to get this group of players to believe and to convert these opportunities into winning games. I am committed to doing this.”
Sharks sink to a new low
After winning the United Rugby Championship SA Shield for the first time and making their maiden semi-final appearance last season, the Sharks struggled from the outset this year.
One win out of seven saw John Plumtree’s exit, and things looked good for a while under Pietersen, with five wins from his first seven games, including a double over the Stormers, who were previously unbeaten in the URC.
But an injury crisis – a common theme under Plumtree, thanks to the workload placed on South African players and Springboks in particular – saw the Sharks struggle to field experienced sides or tested cohesive combinations.
Now on a three-match losing streak, Pietersen has only seven wins out of 14 games under his belt.
Overall, the Sharks have won six out of 16 matches in the URC and eight out of 19 games across European competitions so far.
Two more victories will act as little consolation for a side still not meeting its incredible potential.