Cape Town - The Sharks will be out for revenge when they face the Stormers in their Super Rugby clash at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday.
Last season's Currie Cup final loss to Western Province is still playing heavily on the minds of coach John Plumtree and his players.
The Sharks went into that October final as heavy favourites against an injury-depleted Cape outfit. However, Western Province managed a shock, yet deserved, 25-18 victory.
"What happened in that final was our motivation in the off-season," Plumtree told the Beeld website. "That result will motivate us when we run onto the field against the Stormers on Saturday night."
The coach admitted the players had a gruelling off-season after finishing 2012 on a low note.
"We decided to take a whole new approach to our pre-season preparation after what happened in the Currie Cup final.
"No matter how painful it (the loss to WP) was, maybe it served as an eye-opener to things that needed urgent attention," said Plumtree, referring specifically to their scrums and lineouts.
The Sharks started their Super Rugby campaign with a 29-22 win over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein last week, while the Stormers were below-par in a 25-17 loss to the Bulls in Pretoria.
Saturday's clash at Kings Park kicks off at 19:10.
Last season's Currie Cup final loss to Western Province is still playing heavily on the minds of coach John Plumtree and his players.
The Sharks went into that October final as heavy favourites against an injury-depleted Cape outfit. However, Western Province managed a shock, yet deserved, 25-18 victory.
"What happened in that final was our motivation in the off-season," Plumtree told the Beeld website. "That result will motivate us when we run onto the field against the Stormers on Saturday night."
The coach admitted the players had a gruelling off-season after finishing 2012 on a low note.
"We decided to take a whole new approach to our pre-season preparation after what happened in the Currie Cup final.
"No matter how painful it (the loss to WP) was, maybe it served as an eye-opener to things that needed urgent attention," said Plumtree, referring specifically to their scrums and lineouts.
The Sharks started their Super Rugby campaign with a 29-22 win over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein last week, while the Stormers were below-par in a 25-17 loss to the Bulls in Pretoria.
Saturday's clash at Kings Park kicks off at 19:10.