By Ayanda Nyuswa
Hollywoodbets Sharks captain Eben Etzebeth says the Durban side’s previous win over Munster won’t have any bearing when the two sides clash in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship quarterfinals, at Kings Park Stadium on Saturday. John Plumtrees’ men will host a URC play off-match for the first time since the tournaments inception in 2021, after an impressive campaign saw them finish in third place. They lost only five matches this season, with 4 of those defeats coming on the road as Leinster remain the only side to come away with a win at the Shark tank in the 2024/25 campaign.
The last meeting between the two sides was a try-fest in Durban, with the home side coming out on top with an impressive 41-24 bonus-point win. That loss spelt the end of Graham Rowntree tenure as Munster coach after the Irish Province had a slow start to the season, with just two wins in their opening three URC matches. Ian Costello is the interim coach of Munster as Irish giants ended in sixth place in the final URC standings.
Etzebeth, who played his first full match in five months when the Sharks overcame the Scarlets two weeks ago, believes the past won’t matter when these two giants lock horns in the play offs on Saturday.
“They’re a quality side and we definitely won’t look too much in the past and the past result where we obviously came out on top. It’s a new game just a week in Rugby is a long time, and that was almost half a year ago so that won’t count at all,” said Etzebeth.
“We know they are a quality side, they have a history of playing well at knockout games, like I said earlier two seasons ago they went on to win the competition, winning 2 or more play off games away from home. We’re very aware of that, they can be a quality side even away from home”
