Wise heads to see Sharks home?

Cape Town - Sharks fans have had little to celebrate this Currie Cup season, but they can sneak through the back door and into the semi-finals if they beat the Free State Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Saturday afternoon. 

The Sharks have lost five of their nine matches so far in the competition - not a good enough return for a union that considers themselves a powerhouse in South African rugby. 

They are two points behind the Cheetahs, and Sharks fullback Odwa Ndungane believes that the experience of players like Joe Pietersen, Cobus Reinach and Marco Wentzel will play a major role this weekend.

"It’s massive. People say that you can’t buy experience, and especially for games like that you can’t," Ndungane said.

"I think the good thing is we’ve managed to keep the same team for the past couple of games which is very important."

Ndungane says it is fair to view the Sharks as underdogs for this one, and he is fully aware of the threats that the Cheetahs will pose.

"Going down to the Cheetahs is going to be massive … it’s never easy in Bloem and they’ve got an exciting team," he said.

"It’s a huge task for us. We know it is a must-win game.

"The Cheetahs have been one of the toughest teams to play against. They throw the ball around.

"We have to be sharp on defence. We can’t afford to make mistakes."

Kick off on Saturday is at 14:00.