Sharks draw confidence from Loftus wins

THE Sharks will have no fear when they travel to Loftus Versfeld for the United Rugby Championship (URC) semi-final on Saturday, thanks to their happy memories of winning their last two matches at the Bulls’ fortress.

- MIKE GREENAWAY

In sport, it can be argued that what happened in the past often has little bearing on the present. However, the collective memory banks at the Sharks include a URC win in Pretoria in February and a heroic Currie Cup victory last September.

The latter win was a significant psychological blow to the Bulls, who had set their sights on winning the Currie Cup. Instead, they were beaten on home turf by a Sharks side that went on to clinch the trophy a week later at Ellis Park, against the luckless Lions.

This week’s URC semi-final is not comparable to an international team travelling to Eden Park in Auckland, where the All Blacks have remained unbeaten for 100 games.