Plumtree confident Sharks have shaken off Edinburgh rust

SHARKS coach John Plumtree has used horse-racing parlance to describe how he wants his team to progress from getting across the line by a short head in games to winning at a canter.

- MIKE GREENAWAY

Plumtree was alluding to his team's one-point United Rugby Championship victory over Edinburgh last week, and he wants the performances to get incrementally better over the last three URC league games - starting tomorrow night against Ulster in Belfast (8.35pm kick-off) - and going into the playoffs.

"If you compare us to a Hollywoodbets horse, we won by a nose. But we know we are in a Kentucky Derby over the next four or five weeks," Plumtree said.

"We want to get that horse better, train it hard, and have it win by four or five lengths and not by a nose."

One of the major blows to the Sharks is the absence of Springbok scrumhalf Grant Williams with a neck injury, which sees another Bok in Jaden Hendrikse continuing in the No 9 jersey.

Hendrikse will hope to spark the Sharks into action alongside brother Jordan at flyhalf, while James Venter comes in at openside flank.