Sharks hoping to use home conditions to their advantage

Sharks prop Thomas du Toit believes the conditions in Durban will be their ally when they face Bordeaux Begles in the Champions Cup this weekend.

Du Toit said that the French side will be in for a real test in the muggy Durban conditions.

WIN | A VIP Trip to the URC Grand Final, 27 May 2023

Durban to be the Sharks ally

“It’s absolutely vital to use the conditions to your advantage, we’ve been training in this heat for the last couple of weeks and we’ve seen how the change in climate for the guys who played Connacht has affected them, they’re really struggling,” explained du Toit.

“So the travel is real and very difficult, it’s tough for the touring side, and even for us, we’ve trained and played in these conditions and we’ll definitely try to use that to our advantage.”

ALSO READ: What are this weekend’s Champions Cup fixtures?

The Sharks welcome back their Springboks well-rested and ready to make an impact.

“It was the perfect opportunity to reward those who have trained well, as well as given a rest to some of the players,” he added. 

“We know with the travel schedule, it is very difficult to play a big game on the road and another massive one a week later here in Durban against Bordeaux.

“I don’t think you lose a lot of match fitness in a week. In my experience you don’t really lose anything after one week, maybe two or three weeks at a time. The best case scenario is to play every game and you’ll be as match fit as you possibly can be, but that won’t do your body many favours.

“A physical break only isn’t what’s important, but a mental break as well. If you take the amount of minutes each guy has played week in and week out, that’s 1200 to 1400 minutes in a season. So a mental break is just as necessary as a physical one.”