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HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS LEINSTER RUGBY KICK-OFF 19H15 VS

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DRESS REHEARSAL FOR SUCCESS

The Hollywoodbets Sharks, currently placed fourth on the Vodacom URC standings, host the Irish giants and URC superpower, Leinster, who are at the top of the table, in what has shaped up as not only the biggest bash of the season in the Shark Tank but, perhaps, also a dress rehearsal for the final in three months…

Today sees the respective winners of the South African and Irish Shields in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship battling it out for supremacy in the Shark Tank.

Leinster arrive at Hollywoodbets Kings Park with a formidable reputation as eight-time URC champions, and, of those eight titles, four were won on the trot (2017-21).

Although four years have passed since they were last able to lift the trophy, Leinster are favourably poised for a shot at the spoils this year.

Despite suffering their first loss of the current campaign at the hands of the Bulls, with a penalty at the death consigning the Irishmen to a heart-stopping 20-21 defeat at Loftus Versfeld, Leinster are still sitting pretty at the top of the table. With nine championship points separating them from the defending champions and second-placed Glasgow

Warriors, it is unlikely that they will be knocked from the top spot.

That, of course, makes a final in Dublin a distinct possibility.

Comfortably positioned in the fourth position on the standings, the Hollywoodbets Sharks have their sights fixed on being there on Saturday, June 14.

John Plumtree’s charges have won nine of their 13 league fixtures to date, including all six of their home games at Hollywoodbets Kings Park. With three home fixtures left, including today’s encounter with Leinster, the intent is to keep the “fortress” intact en route to qualifying for the 2024-25 playoffs, and, preferably, a home quarter-final.

The Hollywoodbets Sharks were made to work hard for their most recent home win, the narrow 35-34 victory over Zebre Parma last Saturday.

Although they managed an all-important bonus-point win, Plumtree feels that the overall performance was somewhat below par but has given the assurance that the team will be more than up for today’s big challenge.

"No matter who you play against, if your kicking game and skillsets are poor, and you are not playing in the right areas and are unable to build pressure with the ball, you will be in for a long day," he said.

"Our turnovers allowed the Zebre backs to hurt us. We made it easy for them with our poor execution while making it hard for ourselves.

“We were up for it emotionally and had a good week in terms of preparation, but our skills were terrible, and it almost cost us the game.

LEINSTER ARE A VERY GOOD SIDE, SO WE KNOW THAT WE CANNOT AFFORD ..."

“The team has been hard on themselves. We boast many Springboks, who are very proud, and they realise that last week’s performance wasn't good enough.”

Plumtree also harbours no illusions regarding the job at hand tonight.

“Leinster are a very good side, so we know that we cannot afford to perform below par. They will punish us, they won't let us off.

"We will have to play much better in every aspect of the game.”

The Hollywoodbets Sharks are heading to France next week to take on Lyon in the EPCR Challenge Cup Round of 16.

The URC resumes in three weeks, with the Durbanbased outfit hosting Edinburgh on Friday, April 18.

THE GAME IS WON UP FRONT

The age-old maxim still carries. Jason Jenkins should know. The 29-year-old second-row man mountain has acquired the tricks of the trade over the past decade with the likes of the Bulls and, indeed, Leinster, and is confident that the Hollywoodbets Sharks are up for the forward battle against the Irish giants today…

Jason Jenkins watched with interest as his two former sides took on each other in a gripping Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria last Saturday.

In the end, the Bulls managed to defeat the topof-the-table Leinster for the first time this season with a heart-stopping 21-20 win, courtesy of a 40-metre penalty goal by centre David Kriel in the 84th minute. That triumph, however, was squarely built on increasing forward ascendancy, as a formidable Bulls scrum at the death forced the decisive penalty.

“That just goes to show how important the physical side of the game was, especially at setpiece time,” Jenkins observed.

“Ultimately, the scrums and lineouts won the day for the Bulls.

“That has also been a focus point for us over the past week, and I’m sure we will bring that today. The set-pieces provide an area where we can attack Leinster and create the necessary goforward from which our backs can work their magic.

“Our scrummaging has improved quite a bit over the past few weeks; we are beginning to feel dominant in that space. Our lineouts and mauls have also been more accurate.

“It’s a work in progress, but the boys are keen to get stuck in today.”

Having spent three years in Ireland, during which time he wore the Leinster jumper with distinction on 39 occasions, Jenkins nevertheless appreciates the enormity of the task at hand today.

“Leinster have great systems,” he said. “The players are coached exceptionally well from a young age.”

“Since the Irish are not as blessed as us in South Africa, with a constant flow of young talent coming through, they need to focus on a concentrated pool of players. That creates a lot of continuity, though.

“At Leinster, all the players have a keen understanding of the game plan. From personal experience, I know exactly how much effort goes into analysis and work off the field.

“It is a massive point of difference for Leinster.

“They can be beaten, though. We simply need to be very, very accurate.”

Jenkins comes up against RG Snyman, the Springbok behemoth who succeeded the former in the Leinster No. 4 jumper, and he is fizzing for the confrontation.

“There is no secret to stopping RG,” Jenkins chuckled.

“Most of us at the Hollywoodbets Sharks have either played with or against him at some point in their career. We know what type of threat he poses.

“All one can do is to tackle low and hard; not much else.

“RG is incredibly physical and a key player for Leinster, but we look forward to the challenge.”

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS PLAYER PROFILES

110KG WEIGHT: 77KG

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS

LEINSTER RUGBY

LEINSTER RUGBY PLAYER PROFILES

15/02/2000 HEIGHT: 1.80m

04/04/1996

LEINSTER RUGBY PLAYER PROFILES

BORN: 14/07/1999 HEIGHT: 1.73m WEIGHT: 91KG

BORN: 15/02/2001 HEIGHT: 1.91m

1.75m WEIGHT: 85KG

BORN: 28/05/1998 HEIGHT: 1.83m WEIGHT: 93KG

BORN: 27/11/1996 HEIGHT: 1.83m

BORN: 05/02/1999 HEIGHT: 1.80m

90KG WEIGHT: 115KG WEIGHT: 108KG

BORN: 04/03/2005 HEIGHT: 2.08m WEIGHT: 102KG WEIGHT: 138KG

BORN: 22/09/1999 HEIGHT: 1.82m

BORN: 26/08/2002 HEIGHT: 1.93m BORN: 08/04/1995 HEIGHT: 1.91m BORN: 12/02/2003 HEIGHT: 1.83m

122KG

WEIGHT: 84KG BORN: 12/09/2004 HEIGHT: 1.83m

92KG WEIGHT: 87KG

JOHN MCKEE

CLARKSON

BRIAN DEENY

FINTAN GUNNE CIAN

SCOTT PENNY

ALAN SPICER

TOMMY O'BRIEN

LIAM TURNER

JIMMY O'BRIEN

MICHAEL MILNE

LEE BARRON

RORY MCGUIRE ROSS BYRNE

MCERLEAN

MAJOR MATCHUP TSHITUKA VS. CONNORS

Rampant and relentless.

These are the superlatives that best describe Vincent Tshituka.

Despite his season being abbreviated through injury, the 26-yearold Congolese-born dynamo delivers nothing less than 100 percent whenever he takes to the field for the Hollywoodbets Sharks and, when called upon to lead the team, has done so with his energetic example.

Equally at home anywhere in the back row and even at lock, he boasts the skills and speed to match his power play, and is both highly industrious and efficient in the close-quarter exchanges. Tshituka will be fizzing to test his mettle against Irish giants and Vodacom URC powerhouses, Leinster.

Despite Leinster being pipped at the death by a Bulls penalty goal at Loftus Versfeld last week, openside flanker Will Connors still did enough to walk off with the Man of the Match spoils, and deservedly so.

Connors (28) was all over the park, linking, carrying the ball and chopping the Bulls down in defence. He pulled off a dozen telling tackles in a rousing 80-minute display, which had Leinster boss Leo Cullen singing his praises.

Connors not only brings bravery and resilience but also heaps of experience with more than 50 caps for Leinster and nine test appearances for Ireland, since his international debut five years ago.

FACTS, STATS & TRIVIA

SIYA SENSATIONAL

Coach John Plumtree saw it fit last year to switch Siya Kolisi from flanker to No. 8, and the new role has fitted the Bok skipper like a glove, having produced a series of Man-of-the-Match performances since…

Did you know:

* Siya Kolisi has scored the second-most tries in the Vodacom URC, with a total of seven touchdowns to date.

* In his latest Man-of-the-Match outing against Zebre Parma last Saturday, the Hollywood-bets Sharks’ skipper recorded another brace of tries, yet his impact and, indeed, influence stretched much further.

* Against Zebre, Kolisi also topped the stats in terms of successful carries (8) and defenders beaten (4).

* The Bok captain’s overall presence, however, remains something to behold, with Plumtree acknowledging just how important it was for Kolisi to remain on the field for the full 80 minutes against Zebre and keep everyone calm in the heat of the moment.