By DUNCAN JOHNSTONE - RugbyHeaven | Tuesday, 04 March 2008
The Blues have shown they won't be bullied by the Sharks this time with captain Troy Flavell believing their two big wins in South Africa have set their pack up well for what will surely be a massive confrontation in Durban this weekend.
The Sunday morning match (6.10am NZ time) is surely the match of the fourth round with both teams unbeaten and the Blues edging ahead by the bonus points they have picked up in all three matches so far.
And while the Blues have been happy to accept the plaudits for their ability to transform the new rules into open, attractive rugby, it's been their willingness to front up to the South African bump and grind and wear down both the Lions and Cheetahs that has both Flavell and his coach David Nucifora quietly confident about their chances against the Sharks.
It was the Sharks who exposed an unexpectedly soft underbelly to the Blue last year as they brought an aggressive game to Albany and beat up the Blues 32-25.
They provided the blueprint for the Stormers to then beat the Blues 33-20 and the Bulls to trample them 40-19 as the wheels fell off Nucifora's pace-setting team.
Sure they fronted much better when they returned to South Africa for their semifinal but the Sharks still triumphed 34-18 last May in Durban.
Clearly there is an air of revenge about the Blues this week as they seek a rare hat-trick of victories in the republic after posting half-centuries against the Lions and Cheetahs.
They know what to expect and they are ready for it, according to Flavell. They got a decent dress-rehearsal against the big Cheetahs pack who never took a backward step in Bloemfontein and must have been bemused by what happened on the scoreboard.
"I don't think the score reflected the physicality of the match," Flavell told RugbyHeaven.
"For us it felt a lot closer. But I feel we can take a lot of confidence out of this. It was a good challenge for our forwards especially with regards to our set piece. It sets us up well leading into the Sharks."
Nucifora said the Cheetahs had provided just the physicality his pack needed in terms of acclimatising to what the Sharks would bring to Sunday's match.
"We had a few challenges and the guys fought extremely well," said Nucifora.
A couple of hours after the Blues eventually demolished the Cheetahs the Sharks did something similar to the Bulls, scoring three late tries in Pretoria to win 29-15 and reverse the result of last year's final.
Nucifora felt the Sharks' victory there was ominous after two scratchy wins at home over the Stormers and Western Force.
"It was a typical South Africa derby where they smashed each other. The Sharks are getting into a rhythm. They have a very well-balanced side and they are going to be very formidable opponent down there (in Durban)."
Most teams would be happy to get out of Africa with the 10 points that the Blues have already amassed. But there is clearly unfinished business for the New Zealanders who know how important fighting for every championship point can be in this quick-fire tournament.
"I don't know if you every get the pressure off you in this competition. It's great to be 15 out of 15 points but you know you only have a little bit of time to relax. As coaches we are right into getting ready for the next game and the Sharks in Durban is going to be difficult.
"But we are happy with the way we are sitting at the moment. To have 10 points so far from our trip over here is really promising and our aim is certainly to take a win next week.
"We had a goal as a group to do well in Africa this year. We have gone part of the way to achieving that but next week is another step up and we hope that we can nail those guys as well."
Nucifora's biggest challenge might be how to manage his personnel, particularly his pack which also fronted well against the physical Chiefs in their championship opening win at Eden Park.
The starting forwards have been unchanged for three matches. They have impressively handled a heavy workload with a fair bit of travel tossed in between. Does Nucifora ask for one more big effort before flying home or does he bring in some fresh legs?
He gave some hint to that when he told us: "I don't see three games as a fair bit. I think the guys are pretty comfortable with the workload."
Expect the core to be their again against the Sharks and for Nucifora to make clever use of his powerful bench.
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