CELL C SHARKS VS CARDIFF RUGBY NOV 27 2022

CELL

SHARKS VS CARDIFF RUGBY

CHANGING THE GAME

SIYA KOLISI - RUGBY

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MATCH PREVIEW

LOOKING TO UP THE TEMPO

WORDS: ALBERT HEENOP

The Cell C Sharks are fizzing to pick up at home against Cardiff Rugby tonight, where they left off against the Glasgow Warriors just over a month ago. A little momentum has been lost since that stunning performance against the Scots, through a match postponement and an away loss, yet the boys in black can certainly reassert themselves today as the team to beat, especially in Durban…

The Cell C Sharks delivered a performance on October 15 that blew the Glasgow Warriors out of The Tank in the second half and issued a serious Shark alert for Durban.

Having performed meritoriously without their Springboks during the opening three rounds of the United Rugby Championship, the Cell C Sharks celebrated their return to Hollywoodbets Kings Park, as well as the return of their handsome quota of internationals, by walloping the Warriors 40-12.

The Cell C Sharks had the luxury of basically a Bok-laden bench being released into the Shark-infested waters during the second half, and they had a massive impact, opening the contest for the home side to run riot against the visitors from Scotland.

No doubt, Bok substitutes of the calibre of Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche, Siya Kolisi, Sikhumbuzo Notshe and Makazole Mapimpi contributed immensely to the rousing result.

However, there were a number of standout starting lineup performances too.

Bok legend Eben Etzebeth, for one, was in the Warriors’ faces from the start, ruthlessly chasing up-and-unders, playing havoc with their lineouts and putting in some telling hits, and deservedly claimed Man of the Match.

Not far behind Etzebeth, was a man almost half his size but with pretty much the same amount of heart and X-factor.

Although he missed a couple of shots at

goal, Boeta Chamberlain called the shots all afternoon to near perfection, and his generalship in the standoff slot certainly carried the stamp of a class act.

To be sure, the Cell C Sharks, still with all their Boks available, were poised to continue the feeding frenzy against the mighty Ulster a week later, but that highly anticipated clash was postponed at the 11th hour after the team from Ireland had been hit by a gastroenteritis bug.

This unfortunate turn of events disrupted the magnificent momentum of the Durbanbased unit and no doubt contributed to disappointing 27-40 result against the Bulls in Pretoria a week later.

In addition, the Cell C Sharks had to travel to Loftus Versfeld once again without their internationals, who had to reassemble for the Springboks’ Outgoing Tour.

The Cell C Sharks failed to apply enough pressure on the Bulls in Pretoria, through missed opportunities, and, as a unit, the team lacked precision. The individual performances were also not on the same, high level as a fortnight earlier against the Warriors.

There were nevertheless positives to emerge from Loftus Versfeld too, especially upfront where the Durban pack exhibited supreme physicality against their renowned Bulls’ counterparts.

They were particularly authoritative at lineout time, yet the backs failed to fully capitalise on that dominance.

The boys will again be without nine

Springboks tonight as they host Cardiff, but the team has been hard at work over the past couple of weeks preparing for this home game and eliminating the mistakes made in Pretoria.

The Cell C Sharks, currently lying in eighth position on the URC table but with two games in hand, are fully aware of the necessity to bag championship points, especially at home, and therefore are expected to bring their A game from the word go today.

Next week, they are up against yet another Welsh outfit, the Ospreys, before hosting Harlequins on December 10 in the opening Champions Cup encounter of the season. So, it’s back to business, and everything to play for.

BUT WITH TWO GAMES IN HAND, ARE FULLY AWARE OF THE NECESSITY TO BAG CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS.

DYNAMO BRINGING HIS MOJO TO THE TANK

Loose forward dynamo Vincent Tshituka was the talk of the town in Jo’burg over the past few seasons, and is, once his eligibility is sorted, no doubt a serious candidate for the Bok No 7 jumper. Born in the DRC, the 24-year-old is now swimming with the Cell C Sharks and primed to add heaps of value with his powerful ball carrying, lethal defence and efficiency at the breakdown…

Vincent Tshituka, like everybody else in Durban, was terribly disappointed when the previous VURC fixture at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, against Ulster on October 22, had to be postponed due to the outbreak of gastroenteritis in the Ulster camp.

“We were so keen for that game,” he admits.

“We knew it would’ve been a major challenge against Ulster, but that, after all, is the beauty of the VURC; you need to step up every week.

It goes without saying, therefore, that Tshituka and co are chomping at the bit to get back into The Shark Tank tonight.

“Just to be back playing with the home crowd, that’s what we’re really looking forward to.

“The next few games are all big, and the goal is to get four or five points from every outing, so, to have the fans behind us is a huge inspiration.”

Vincent Tshikaya Tshituka, was born on September 10, 1998, in Lubumbashi - the second-largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

When he was six years old, the family relocated to South Africa in pursuit of better opportunities, and it was at Franklin D Roosevelt Primary School in Johannesburg that young Tshituka’s education kicked offliterally and figuratively speaking.

“I played soccer at FDR,” he recalls.

“My big, big hero at the time was Chelsea’s Didier Drogba, and I’m still a fan of his work. I was a goalkeeper, though.”

From FDR, it was off to Northcliff High School for Tshituka, but when he arrived there, he found out that soccer wasn’t presented as a sport.

“I loved sport, and especially team sports, but wasn’t a big fan of either cricket or hockey.

So, I went for the next best thing, which was rugby.

“I had heard a lot about the game, and just figured I’d give it a shot.

“I started off as a wing in U14 and became a loose forward the following year, but from U16 through to U19, I played lock.

“I never intended rugby as a career, though. The thing is, I didn’t know anybody who had made it in the professional space, so for me to have dreamt about that would’ve been too much.

“I just played for fun.

“My school coaches, however, always pushed me to take the game more seriously, and I eventually gained selection for the Golden Lions Academy side.”

That launched a highly successful career for Tshituka in the red and white of the Lions, which culminated in the previous VURC campaign, when he not only scooped three Man of the Match awards, in four games, but was also voted URC Player of the Month in April.

“I was blessed the past six seasons to have been able to play with the Lions,” he says. “That is where I developed as a player.

“Joey Mongalo, who is also now with the Cell C Sharks, was the guy who really opened the door for me at the Golden Lions. Joey put me on a trial period, he gave me a fair chance, and as a player, that is all you can ask for.

“At the Lions I was also able to play with my younger brother, Emmanuel.

“Athletically, he was always the star of the show. He was a track runner.

“But, we never played rugby together at school.”

The highlight of Vincent Tshituka’s career to date, was his appearance in the Green versus Gold ‘Springbok trials’ held at Newlands in 2020.

“I came off the bench, and just to get a run, just to match myself against the best in the country, was a massive confidence booster,” he says.

“Playing against the British & Irish Lions last year, also made me think: You know what, I can compete against the best.”

And, now he is competing alongside the best, at the Cell C Sharks.

“I just felt that I needed to be in a set-up where I can win some serious silverware.

“Seeing how this Cell C Sharks’ team is developing is extremely exciting, and I’m just thrilled to be a part of it.”

CENTRE

BORN: 20/02/1987

HEIGHT: 1.81 m

WEIGHT: 96KG

BORN:14/02/1989

HEIGHT: 1.93m

WEIGHT: 98KG

PROP HOOKER

BORN: 25/07/1989

HEIGHT: 1.88 m

WEIGHT: 112KG

BORN: 17/05/1996

HEIGHT: 1.98 m

WEIGHT: 119KG

ELLIS BEVAN

BORN: 10/03/2000

HEIGHT: 1.80m

BORN: 11/09/1996 HEIGHT: 1.83m

BORN: 10/09/2000

HEIGHT: 1.88m

BORN:25/11/1998

WING PROP

HEIGHT: 1.83m WEIGHT: 91KG

BORN: 28/07/1998 HEIGHT: 1.93 m

WEIGHT: 92KG

WEIGHT: 118KG WEIGHT: 126KG

WEIGHT: 98KG

LOOSE FORWARD FLANK

FULL BACK SCRUM-HALF

BORN: 14/10/1997 HEIGHT: 1.93m WEIGHT: 117KG

MASON GRADY

BORN: 29/03/2002

HEIGHT: 1.97 m

WEIGHT:113KG

GWILYM BRADLEY

BEN THOMAS

REY LEE-LO

JASON HARRIES

COREY DOMACHOWSKI

KRISTIAN DACEY

WILL DAVIES-KING

SEB DAVIES

JAMES RATTI

MAJOR MATCHUP

JANSE VAN RENSBURG V LLEWELLYN

Rohan Janse van Rensburg (28), who appeared for South Africa against Wales in 2016, joined the Cell C Sharks from the UK, having represented the Sale Sharks in the English Premiership since 2017.

Janse van Rensburg was a key exponent of the Lions midfield when they contested three Super Rugby finals on the trot from 2016 to 2018.

Physically, he is a powerhouse, especially when attacking the advantage line, and has already proved pretty useful for the Cell C Sharks in the wet and heavy northern hemisphere conditions.

He makes a welcome return following a four-week suspension for a dangerous tackle in the match against Leinster in early October.

Since making his league debut off the bench at Principality Stadium against Ospreys, in 2018, Max Llewellyn (23) has become a regular feature for Wales U20 and Cardiff RFC, before making the step up to Cardiff Rugby. The giant centre, who at 1.96m is almost as tall as his father and 92-cap Wales lock Gareth Llewellyn (1.98m), continued his progression under Cardiff coach Dai Young, enjoying an impressive run at the end of the 2021-22 season and starting the current campaign at inside centre. In fact, the powerful midfielder already made a strong case for inclusion in Wayne Pivac’s Wales squad for the recent autumn internationals, but this time around just missed out.

FORTY YEARS ON FACTS,

STATS & TRIVIA HOLLYWOODBETS KINGS PARK IS DELIGHTED TO WELCOME CARDIFF RUGBY BACK TO DURBAN FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 40 YEARS.

THE BEST-KNOWN RUGBY CLUB IN THE WORLD, CARDIFF HAS CERTAINLY LEFT A MAJESTIC MARK ON BOTH WELSH AND BRITISH & IRISH LIONS RUGBY…

Did you know that…

* The Cardiff RFC was established in 1876.

* Their original badge, on a black jersey, was a skull and cross-boneswhich is more commonly associated with piracy, due to its historical use on Jolly Roger flags.

* Cardiff RFC has down the years beaten both the touring Springboks and All Blacks, while the Wallabies have failed to beat the club in six attempts!

* Cardiff RFC has produced more players for the Welsh national side and British & Irish Lions than any other Welsh club.

* Cardiff first visited Kings Park on August 25, 1979, beating Natal 25-17.

* The last time Cardiff was in action in Durban was 40 years ago, on May 1, 1982, losing 14-27 to Natal.

* Cardiff Rugby clinched European Challenge Cup titles in 2010 and 2018, beating Toulon and Gloucester respectively, and also reached the knockout stages of the European Rugby Champions Cup in 2012.