By
The Sharks host Ulster at Kings Park this Saturday in a United Rugby Championship clash that's shaping up to be a season-changer for the Durban side.
Lukhanyo Am leads the Sharks team to take on the Irish giants, with Rugby World Cup-winning prop Vincent Koch set to make his Sharks' debut off the bench.
SA Rugby Player of the Year winner (for the second successive year) Eben Etzebeth does not mince his words when he reflects on the season so far and his thoughts ahead of the match.
"We haven't had a good season so far and no excuses, we need to take a hard look at ourselves as individuals and as a collective," he says.
"Somehow we haven't been executing our plans and that's disappointing, but we'll be looking to rectify that over the remainder of the season and make the last part of it a successful one.
"We're looking to end strong, there's always a sense of pride when we wear the Sharks jersey and win games and that motivates the guys to not give up, but to make it difficult for the teams coming to Durban."
Looking at the upcoming game, he admits of the team selection, "As a collective, this was probably the strongest 23 we could have picked for this game so far this season and it's a big boost having guys like [himself and] Bongi and Vincent Koch back."
With Ireland having won back-to-back Six Nations Championships, Ulster will be buoyed by their national team's success, but Etzebeth believes the Sharks' focus should be on themselves, not their opponents.
"We as a Sharks team must get our confidence right for next season and finish this season on a high. Hopefully, we can produce a great performance on Saturday. We need to step up in the physicality department, we haven't had a great set-piece this year and we as South Africans love that battle, but I just feel at the moment we're letting ourselves down and letting the supporters down with what we've produced.
"The plan is to be a lot more physical on the field this weekend."
Sharks - 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Eduan Keyter, 13 Lukhanyo Am (c), 12 Ethan Hooker, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Siya Masuku, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 George Cronje, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Phepsi Buthelezi, 5 Gerbrandt Grobler, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Hanro Jacobs, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu
Replacements - 16 Kerron van Vuuren, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Corne Rahl, 20 Jeandre Labuschagne, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Curwin Bosch, 23 Francois Venter
