The Sharks will be hoping a return home means a return to form as they host the Chiefs at the end of their five-game road trip. Join The Roar for live scores from 11:05pm (AEST).
It’s going to come right down to the last round to decide wildcard spots for the finals, and the South African conference is a key reason why, with four teams separated by just a single competition point.
As it stands, three of the five spots will go to New Zealand teams, with the Rebels also set to qualify from Australia. South Africa will have one spot, and maybe two if they can get over the Rebels point totals, but that doesn’t get us any closer to knowing which teams from the rainbow nation will qualify.
The Sharks, after winning just two of their first six games for the season, have turned things around to pick up two of their next three, with the side in much better form than they were a month ago.
Their wins at home over the Stormers and Highlanders were both hard-fought, showing a renewed commitment to man up in defence and put pride on their goal line, but an away loss to the Bulls last week brought them crashing back to Earth. Only going down by six points wasn’t the end of the world, but they must be better if they want to make the top eight.
The Chiefs, on the other hand, have been on the road for the last four weeks, with this being their second game in South Africa in as many weeks.
It was always going to be the most challenging stretch of the season for the Chiefs, but they have handled it well, winning two of the four so far to keep their spot in the top eight overall. While they have fallen to fourth in the New Zealand conference, they play three of their final four at home and don’t leave the country again.
Last week saw a scrappy 15-9 win over the Stormers and while it was hardly convincing, they ground their way to victory with brilliant defence, making the most of their opportunities at the other end.
It should leave them confident for this one, but the toll of travel may well get to them.
Prediction
The Sharks need another win in the ridiculously tight South African conference, and the Chiefs should be ripe for the picking at the end of their road trip and after last week’s tough win. It won’t be easy, but the Sharks should win.
Sharks by 5.
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