Retribution v Ulster not on the Sharks’ minds – Janse van Rensburg
Retribution for their defeat at the hands of Ulster last season that condemned them to an away quarterfinal will not be on the Sharks’ minds, according to centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg, when they take on the Irish powerhouses in their United Rugby Championship clash at Kings Park on Saturday.
Ulster beat the Sharks 24-21 at the Kingspan Stadium last May, which meant they pushed the Sharks down to fifth in the standings and forced them into playing their quarterfinal against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld, where they went down 30-27, beaten by an 83rd minute drop goal by Chris Smith.
But instead of reflecting on that pain, Janse van Rensburg says the Sharks are instead focusing on the positive benefits that could come from beating Ulster in Durban this weekend: a bonus point win and other results going their way could see them climb into the top five on the log.
“We haven’t spoken about what happened last season at all,” Janse van Rensburg said on Tuesday. “Our conversations have purely been based on what we can do to beat Ulster.
“It’s a massive game for us, especially with the current log positions being a great motivation for us. Every point matters at this stage of the season as we try and get closer to the top five. We have the potential to get there already this weekend, so we just want to take our next steps forward.
“We have to use the climate and the heat to our advantage, it’s huge to be able to capitalise on those at home. But most importantly, we need to make sure we pitch up.
“Ulster are always a strong team to face, regardless of them losing a few players to Ireland, so it’s important for us to be really on it from the start,” Janse van Rensburg said.
Playing 81 times for the Sale Sharks between 2017 and 2022 furnished Janse van Rensburg with the ability to adapt to different conditions and match situations, and the 28-year-old sees himself as a senior player with the Natal Sharks, lending his experience to the rest of the team.
“It was definitely a great experience being there overseas for five years, especially playing in the wet conditions, you have to adapt. Sometimes it would be snowing and then it gets really hard.
“But having to adapt to whatever the conditions are on match-day definitely helped me in my game-management. With that experience I just try and help the other boys in the midst of a tough game, but it also helps me in terms of how I think about the game.
“Ulster are coming from their winter so it’s going to be a massive adjustment for them, especially with how hot the weather gets this time of year around 2pm.
“But it’s a really, really big game for us. Confidence is everything and we have quality players who want to perform and achieve higher honours. There’s a big onus on us, even though we are missing a lot of players, to take responsibility for every game now,” Janse van Rensburg said.