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Cape Town - The Sharks are looking to right the wrongs of their 2018 Super Rugby campaign by winning the Currie Cup on Saturday.
The Durbanites are in Cape Town where they will meet the defending champions Western Province, the same side who beat them in the 2017 final at Kings Park.
Revenge for that upset is surely motivation enough, but Sharks skipper and scrumhalf Louis Schreuder said on Thursday that the desire to win is about much more than that.
According to Schreuder, the Sharks had hoped to achieve much more in Super Rugby this year.
Having made the tournament playoffs once again, the Sharks were hammered 40-10 in the quarter-finals at the hands of the Crusaders.
"We didn't have as satisfying a Super Rugby campaign as we wanted, so we put a lot of emphasis into the Currie Cup," Schreuder said.
"We wanted a home semi-final first and then a home final, which didn't happen, but we got to the final and that's the main thing.
"You can sense it's a final week because tensions are up and the energy is up. You can feel it's a nice vibe, but it's also important to stay calm and relaxed."
While they go into the match as underdogs, the Sharks have an opportunity to win a first piece of major silverware under coach Robert du Preez.
The coach has been thrilled with how the side has evolved under his leadership.
"Credit to the boys in the leadership group ... I think they've done a fantastic job, guys like Chiliboy, Marius Louw, Jeremy Ward, Robert du Preez ... they've done fantastic work on and off the field," Du Preez said.
"There is a great spirit in the team and it will stand us in good stead in this final."
Kick-off is at 16:00.
Teams:
Western Province
15 Dillyn Leyds, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 SP Marais, 10 Josh Stander, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Ernst van Rhyn, 6 Kobus van Dyk, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Chris van Zyl (captain), 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ali Vermaak
Substitutes: 16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 Caylib Oosthuizen, 18 Michael Kumbirai, 19 Salmaan Moerat, 20 Jaco Coetzee, 21 Herschel Jantjies, 22 Dan Kriel, 23 JJ Engelbrecht
Sharks
15 Curwin Bosch, 14 S'bu Nkosi, 13 Jeremy Ward, 12 Marius Louw, 11 Aphelele Fassi, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Louis Schreuder (captain), 8 Daniel du Preez, 7 Jean-Luc du Preez, 6 Tyler Paul, 5 Hyron Andrews, 4 Gideon Koegelenberg, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Juan Schoeman
Substitutes: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Mzamo Majola, 18 Coenie Oosthuizen, 19 Jacques Vermeulen, 20 Luke Stringer, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Kobus van Wyk, 23 Leolin Zas
