Sharks ‘know what’s coming’ in Lyon

Sharks defence coach Joey Mongalo expects a “hostile crowd” at Matmut Stadium for their round-of-16 Challenge Cup playoff on Sunday.

The Durbanites begin the defence of their second-tier European title with a match against a Lyon team that won three of their four pool matches in the competition and are currently seventh in the French Top 14.

The Sharks qualified for the Challenge Cup playoffs after finishing fifth in their six-team Champions Cup pool, with one win from four matches, and are coming off the back of a 10-7 loss to Leinster’s second-stringers at Kings Park last weekend.

On Thursday, Mongalo insisted the Sharks’ confidence had not dropped after that defeat and that they had taken a lot of positives from their performance.

“We’re a group that puts things in context,” he said. “That team we played against, irrespective of their [missing Ireland] internationals, was a top-quality team. You saw that at Loftus when the Bulls had to kick a penalty in the last minute to beat them.

“There were quite a few positive points we took from the game,” he added. “Our kicking game and game management were nine out of 10. On attack, we created a whole lot of opportunities, we just didn’t executive some of them, so it’s probably more about finishing than the actual attack, which is really good. And defensively, I thought the boys put in some really good sets. There was a three-minute defensive set on our own tryline, which says a lot about this group – how they’re growing and how much they care for each other.”

Lyon lost 28-14 at Bayonne in the Top 14 last weekend, but Mongalo believes they’ll pose a much bigger threat in front of their fans.

“Anyone who follows the Top 14 will see that teams win at home, even teams that are struggling. They put so much emphasis on winning at home and take massive pride in how they perform at home. So we can expect a hostile crowd and a passionate group that we play against. We know what’s coming and will make sure we’re mentally ready for it.

“Like a typical French side, Lyon have got a lot of French flair,” he added. “They’ve got X-factor players, especially in their backs. And their forwards are large units, which will help them set-piece wise. They’re a strong scrummaging team and maul quite well.”

The Sharks are currently fourth on the URC log, with a two-match tour to come, and Mongalo admitted it was difficult to focus on two competitions at once.

“I think it’s something teams are still trying to figure out. We’ve got to think about Edinburgh and Ulster in two weeks’ time, but at the same time we’ve got to honour a good quality competition [Challenge Cup] and one we mustn’t forget we are the defending champions of.

“Even though you’re playing in two different competitions, you are still one squad. So a quality performance in Lyon will give us confidence for our next fixture, against the Ospreys or Scarlets [in a Challenge Cup quarter-final] or against Edinburgh [in the URC].”

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