- Sharks scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse said lock Eben Etzebeth is raring to get on the park against the Glasgow Warriors on Saturday.
- The Sharks’ Springbok contingent returned last week and is up for selection this weekend.
- Etzebeth was unveiled by the Sharks earlier this year, but hasn’t trotted out in black and white.
The Sharks are expected to bring out their Springbok cavalry for Saturday’s United Rugby Championship clash against the Glasgow Warriors at Kings Park, with halfback Jaden Hendrikse struggling to hide his excitement over an expected start for lock Eben Etzebeth.
Etzebeth was unveiled by the franchise in February, but hasn’t yet donned the black and white.
This should change on Saturday as the Sharks look to right the wrongs of last week’s 54-34 loss to Leinster in Dublin.
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With the likes of Siya Kolisi and Bongi Mbonambi also taking part in training this week, the Sharks may be fully loaded to atone for what was a brave but futile showing.
Hendrikse said there’s to play in the way that’s asked of them, while adding that Etzebeth has been a bundle of excitement ahead of what could be his first game for his new team.
“As we come back, we want to play with the Sharks’ DNA in the way that they have been playing over the years,” Hendrikse said.
“We want to come back and have a big influence in the team, but also fit into the team.
“Eben’s super calm, he looks very excited and he’s very happy that he can play for the Sharks this weekend.
The Sharks’ defence has come under scrutiny, with the outings against Leinster and Zebre showing up the bad parts of the Sharks’ rear-guard.
With the Bok core back, an improvement is expected, with Hendrikse saying they’ve worked on their defence and sharpened up on their attack.
“The main focus was on our defence. We need to get our spacing and alignment right,” Hendrikse said.
“We also need to make our first-time tackles, which is the main thing. When it comes to attacking, we need to do what we did against Leinster and be ruthless inside the 22.”
The Glasgow Warriors will be buoyed by their 35-21 manhandling of the Bulls at the Scotstoun Stadium on Saturday.
They looked like a team that did their homework, but whether they can repeat their party trick against the Sharks remains to be seen.
Hendrikse said they studied what the Warriors got right against the Bulls and they’ll be ready for them.
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“Glasgow matched the Bulls physically and they successfully disrupted the Bulls’ set-pieces,” Hendrikse said.
“They also successfully attacked the Bulls’ breakdown, so that’s part of what we learnt from that game.
“Our focus remains on ourselves and see if we can fix what happened over the weekend and look at what Glasgow will bring.
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