John Plumtree had quipped during the week that this was the first time in this darkest of URC campaigns that he could pick close to his ideal Sharks combination, and the enlisted men duly delivered with a 22-12 victory over Ulster at Kings Park on Saturday.
However, the Durbanites belated jump off the foot of the overall points table was arguably more down to a collection of determined individual performances – notably the legion of Springboks – rather than a coherent and silky team effort.