Ken Borland

Despite the daunting task ahead of them and the fact that they are playing away from their Kings Park haven, coach Sean Everitt said the Sharks are as excited as puppies about taking on the British and Irish Lions at Ellis Park on Wednesday night.

“We spoke about the opportunity to make history and if we win we will forever be in the history books as the first Sharks or Natal team to beat the British and Irish Lions. The guys are excited and have watched a lot of Northern Hemisphere rugby so they know the players and there are no false pretences of the challenge in front of us. But if we can stop their momentum and power game then we are in with a chance.

“Unfortunately we can’t play in Durban, but we’ve been in Johannesburg since Friday so our acclimatisation will be spot-on and we’ve generally done pretty well up here, we feel comfortable playing on the Highveld. Personally I remember watching the 1974 Lions playing against Border, so I have a lot of respect for the team and I’m just so glad that the game is going ahead,” Everitt said.

The Lions, meanwhile, have added a pacy, marauding loose trio to their mix for the meeting with the Sharks, selecting Tom Curry, Josh Navidi and Sam Simmonds.

Behind a top-class tight five, they will certainly have plenty of opportunity to fulfil coach Warren Gatland’s mandate to “express yourselves”.

A hamstring strain to Robbie Henshaw, who added plenty of muscle to the Lions’ midfield against Japan, has given a chance in the outside centre berth to Elliot Daly, who has mostly been a wing or fullback under England coach Eddie Jones.

Everitt knows that the only way to counter the individual star quality in the Lions team is through a concerted team effort; the sum of the Sharks’ performance must be greater than its parts.

“The focus is always on team first and if anyone goes off programme we will pay the consequences. We need all 23 players on match day to reach our peak performance and I don’t think anyone will go off-programme because we all know we need a massive team performance and not playing as individuals.

“We have to manage the ball well in our own half and not just throw the ball around and expect things to happen. They have three very good loose forwards and good lineout jumpers and we need to survive at the set-pieces and then look after the ball when we have it and then make sure we are playing in the right areas,” Everitt said.

The Sharks are going to have to draw on their deepest deposits of physicality and energy for the full 80 minutes if they hope to get the better of the British and Irish Lions, according to coach Sean Everitt, which is why he named a bench with six forwards on it for their clash at Ellis Park on Wednesday night.

JJ van der Mescht and Reniel Hugo are the two locks on the bench, but it is not just brute force that the Shaks will require but also the ability to play at a high tempo.

“It’s going to be a great challenge, we learnt a lot from their game against our Lions, who probably weren’t aware what an international team can bring. They play at a high intensity, they’re always trying to speed the game up, which is something we have been working on but we are not quite there yet. We are going to have to keep up for 80 minutes, which is why we went for a 6/2 split on the bench.

“From a physicality point of view the Lions are right up there and they can vary their game – go from contestable kicks to a running game because they have high-quality players. There’s no room for error, they give you nothing, they have incredible line-speed on defence and they put a lot of pressure on at the breakdown. We are going to need a really good team effort,” Everitt said on Monday.

Ensuring there are enough reserves in the kitty to still play high-tempo rugby in the final quarter is a challenge all South African teams are going to have to adapt to against European opposition, according to Everitt.

“In Europe there’s a big emphasis on ball-in-play time and that’s the biggest challenge from a South African point of view. Ulster and Leinster played a game recently where the ball-in-play time was 52 minutes, while in the last Currie Cup we were averaging 26-30 minutes. It’s why Rassie Erasmus stepped in with a plan to increase that. The Lions game at the weekend had 39 minutes ball-in-play.

“It’s certainly something the Sharks have been working on, we want to play at a higher intensity because it’s what we’ll need later in the year. So this game against the Lions will be a good test of how far we still have to go. We know the Lions go hard at the ball, they’re physical in the tackle and try to hold you up, so we’ve got to get to the ball quickly,” Everitt said.

Sharks: Manie Libbok, Werner Kok, Jeremy Ward, Marius Louw, Thaakir Abrahams, Curwin Bosch, Jaden Hendrikse, Phepsi Buthelezi (c), Thembelani Bholi, James Venter, Hyron Andrews, Ruben van Heerden, Khutha Mchunu, Fez Mbatha, Khwezi Mona. Bench – Kerron van Vuuren, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Wiehahn Herbst, JJ van der Mescht, Reniel Hugo, Dylan Richardson, Grant Williams, Anthony Volmink.

Western Province were grateful for the services of an ace goalkicker in Tim Swiel as they edged out the Sharks 32-31 in their Currie Cup match in Cape Town on Wednesday evening, the flyhalf succeeding with all eight of his kicks at goal.

Western Province were outscored four tries to two by the Sharks, but Swiel’s man-of-the-match display ensured they were in the lead for almost the whole game. The Sharks led twice, taking a 21-19 lead into halftime after a sensational run by wing Thaakir Abrahams from his own 22 set up scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse for his second try; and then flyhalf Curwin Bosch kicked an easy ruck penalty to put them 31-29 up with just four minutes remaining.

But as happened so often in the game, the Sharks messed up the restart, being penalised for hands in the ruck, and Swiel nailed the kick to make the final score 32-31.

But the hardworking flank Thembelani Bholi won a turnover penalty in the final minute, only for Bosch to kick the ball dead, Western Province then stealing the lineout throw to notch their first win at Cape Town Stadium.

Western Province fullback Sergeal Petersen had an elegant response to the halftime deficit as he cut the line soon after the restart and then passed to powerhouse eighthman Evan Roos, who muscled over the tryline with only scrumhalf Hendrikse fighting a lone and futile battle to try and bring him down.

It was yet another moment of sloppiness by a Sharks side who played some beautiful rugby, but were beaten by a team that simply made fewer mistakes.

Not even dominating the lineouts and scrums could win the game for the visitors, who dominated territory and possession. That allowed them plenty of opportunities to maul from the lineout, from which three of their tries came, but Western Province’s new-look side proved their character by winning against the run of play.

Scorers

Western Province: Tries – Paul de Wet, Evan Roos. Conversions – Tim Swiel (2). Penalties – Swiel (6).

Sharks: Tries – Thembelani Bholi, Jaden Hendrikse (2), Fez Mbatha. Conversions – Curwin Bosch (4). Penalty – Bosch.

Phepsi Buthelezi’s Facebook page has just one Life Event posted on it: “October 30, 2018 – Started a new job at the Sharks”.

In the 32 months since then it is fair to say that the 22-year-old from Hluhluwe has blown away his employers with his dedication, talent, leadership and positive attitude. To such an extent that he was named their Currie Cup captain for this season, although he is currently out of action with a minor concussion. it is hoped he will be back to lead his troops against the British and Irish Lions on July 7.

Buthelezi is just one of those guys who impresses everywhere he goes, knocking over hurdles and making it look easy. But coming from a town that probably has more game reserves than rugby fields in the immediate vicinity, he has had challenges to overcome in order to progress through the rugby pipeline from one of the backwaters.

“It was obviously tough coming from Hluhluwe and where rugby comes short in Zululand is that we don’t play enough there, compared to the Eastern Cape primary schools, which play so much more games and therefore there is a lot more opportunity. There’s a lot of talent in Zululand, I reckon the kids there are just as talented, but they are raw. We know the Eastern Cape is crazy about rugby, but it’s quite big in Zululand too,” Buthelezi told Saturday Citizen.

But a talent such as Buthelezi normally just needs a couple of lucky breaks and he will soar. The eighthman with the slick hands made his breakthrough when he came to Durban.

“I was a loose forward and lock playing in the Zululand U12 trials and my older brother, Blessing, was at Durban High School and he did very well there. So DHS saw me and gave me a scholarship. I played lock there from the U14s through to the U15s, and in fact in the KZN U16 team I played lock alongside JJ van der Mescht [a current Sharks second-rower].

“And then I became Head of School at DHS and beating Glenwood in our big derby in 2017 gives me goosebumps still. We hadn’t beaten them since 2006 and it was one of the best days of my life. It was a big occasion, their Old Boys’ Day at Glenwood, but we just wanted it so much. It’s still one of my favourite games ever,” Buthelezi said.

DHS came from 3-12 down to win 20-17 and Buthelezi scored their final try.

He made the SA Schools side later that year and in 2018 he captained the SA U20s.

It was certainly his – and the Sharks’  – good fortune that he then landed up at Kings Park.

“Being at the Sharks has made the transition from the Junior Boks to senior rugby so much smoother because of the type of coaches we have. Like Sean Everitt, who is a transformational coach that believes in growing and developing players. I am so blessed at the Sharks, it’s not just about what you can do for them now, but about where you can be in five years time. We are all driving towards the future,” Buthelezi said.

Never mind breaking a glass ceiling, the way Buthelezi is going, he’s gong to reach the ozone layer.

But it is typical of the humble young man that he is thankful for the help of family and friends along the way.

“A lot of people have had a positive influence in my career, starting with my family, especially my mother. Through it all, the good days and the bad, she has always been there encouraging me through it all and it was not always pretty.

“At the Sharks, guys like Tera Mtembu and Keegan Daniel helped me a lot. I actually stayed with Tera for the first couple of months at the Sharks and he was so welcoming. You can feel threatened by someone who plays in the same position as you and maybe not give of yourself too much, but he was always helpful, giving me tips and encouragement, and Keegan too.

“The Du Preez brothers were also great and Siya Kolisi and Sikhumbuzo Notshe are the players I learn from now, I’m just absorbing knowledge. It’s great to see the type of person Siya is, yes he’s a wonderful rugby player who has done amazing things, but what stands out is what sort of person he is, he never treats anyone differently and is such a good example to us younger guys. He’s just a good human being.”

For the man whose real name is Phendulani, but who was called Phepsi because his teachers at the predominantly Hluhluwe Primary School struggled, it’s now all about the Currie Cup, which the Sharks came agonisingly close to winning last season, only losing in extra time to the Bulls.

“As a squad we are really targeting the Currie Cup, we feel ready now to actually win some trophies, although we understand it’s going to be tough.

“As a captain I value people, I never go in thinking I have to be in charge. Leadership is influence and I try to get to know the players on and off the field so I can get the best reaction out of them, and of course I try to lead by example.

“As a player I don’t think I’m a typical South African eighthman, which I see as an advantage because it makes me different. I never want to play like someone else and hopefully one day I can play eighthman for the Springboks that way,” Buthelezi, a classic-style No.8 whose linking, ball-playing game suits the Sharks’ perfectly, said.