FORMER Hollywoodbets Sharks centre Adrian Jacobs reckons his old team can go all the way and secure a terrific treble of titles by winning the 2024/25 Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) and a second European Challenge Cup.
With six regular season rounds of the URC left, the Sharks are fourth on the log with 39 points having played 12 games, winning eight and losing four.
URC SA Shield In The Bag
Last week they bagged their first piece of silverware after they beat the Emirates Lions 25-22 in their postponed Round One URC clash in Durban to win SA Shield.
And with four of their remaining regular round URC games, all played at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, coach John Plumtree’s team can aim to end the group stages as high as second place to secure a home quarterfinal and possible home semi-final.
They are also still in the running to try and retain the European Challenge Cup title they won last season. Making history as the first South African side to win the second-tier European title after beating Gloucester 36-22 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
This season's stakes are higher
However, last season’s Euro title run came with a lot less pressure as the Sharks were a no-show in the URC ending the 2023/24 campaign in a disappointing 14th place. Meaning the Durban-based outfit could focus all their energy on winning in Europe to qualify for the elite-level Champions Cup.
And Jacobs agrees, the balancing act of this season being a shoo-in for two more titles, will certainly make it a tricky proposition for Plumtree’s squad.
Returning Stars Will Boost Sharks
It however seems that the Durbanites are striking it lucky with a plethora of Sharks stalwarts returning from injury at the most important stage of the URC and Challenge Cup campaigns.
Seeing Springboks like Makazole Mapimpi, Lukhanyo Am, Eben Etzebeth and Andre Esterhuizen making a return from injury will add huge experience, Jacobs says. “With those types of players who have won back-to-back World Cup titles, there is going to be a huge boost as they look to get to both Grand Finals.
Sharks Must Up Their Game
The former Springbok centre, however, has his concerns about the luke-warm performances his former franchise team has come up with during the season.
And Jacobs tells TelecomAsia Sport:
I honestly believe they can go on and win big silverware this season but I do feel there are certain aspects of their game that needs to get cleaned up when they get to the knockout stages.
Especially their work and accuracy around the breakdowns [where they struggled against the Lions]. The goal-kicking (conversions and penalties) has also not been that on-song while the handling errors on attack would also have frustrated the management team.
Sharks v Leinster Grand Final?
And should the Sharks get to a URC final for the first time, Jacobs says of who he would like his old team to face:
Currently, Leinster look like a well-rounded team but, like I said, if guys like Mapimpi, Am and Etzebeth among others are fully fit, we can get to a final and win it all.
The Sharks next face Zebre Parma in the URC on 22 March at Kings Park before a big home clash against log leaders Leinster on 29 March.
French outfit Lyon then awaits the Sharks’ arrival to Stade de Gerland for the quarterfinals of the European Challenge Cup on 6 April.
