Durban — The last time the Bulls hosted the Sharks in a United Rugby Championship (URC) match it ended in tears for the Durbanites when Chris Smith landed an injury-time drop goal to decide a dramatic quarter-final 30-27.
It had been 13-13 at half-time and it was neck and neck until the 83rd minute when Smith, who had enjoyed a flawless afternoon with the boot, snapped over the winning points. Just a few minutes earlier, Sharks No 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe had scored in the corner and Curwin Bosch showed great composure to level the score at 27-27, but it wasn’t to be for the Shark and the Bulls went on to contest the final.
This week, Sharks prop Ntuthuko Mchunu was asked if his team were out for revenge in Sunday’s round seven URC fixture but he coolly said that this was “just another big game”.
We hear what Mchunu is saying because the Sharks — and the Bulls for that matter — obviously aim to win every game they play, but the statistics suggest that the Sharks are going to have to deliver a performance of a considerably higher standard than is their norm if they are to win — they have won just once at Loftus Versfeld in the last 11 years, across all competitions.
Better news for the Shark is that in the URC, the record between the teams is close. It is: Played 5, Bulls won 3, Sharks won 2.
Did you know?
• The Bulls’ two-game losing run in the URC ended with their 44-22 victory over Benetton in Treviso last weekend.
• The Bulls have won their last nine matches at Loftus Versfeld in the Championship since the Sharks, beat them there last February.
• The Bulls have won two of their last five fixtures against fellow South African opponents in the URC.
• The Sharks’ game against Ulster in Durban last weekend was postponed. The Sharks' only defeat so far in the URC was 34-54 to Leinster in Dublin in Round 4.
• The Sharks have lost just two of their last seven fixtures against fellow South African franchises in the URC, both away from home, at the Stormers in February and at the Bulls in the quarter-final in June.
• The Sharks have won just once at Loftus Versfeld in any competition since June 2011: 29-22 in the URC on February 12 this year.
IOL Sport