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White seeks final flourish

Durban - Sharks director of rugby Jake White is desperate for one final flourish against the Stormers as they look to end the first part of the Super Rugby season on a high at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday.

The competition heads into an international break after the weekend with the competition leaders only returning to action on July 5.

They will be hoping the five point lead they currently hold over the Australian Waratahs will still be intact and White was well aware of the importance of victory against their Cape Town rivals.

"It will be very significant to get a result this weekend," the Sharks boss said. "We've had eight weeks in a row and it's important to just get across that line.

"The nice thing is we control our own destiny and we've just got to win. It's as simple as that."

The KwaZulu-Natal franchise had been back in South Africa for less than a week having completed a successful tour to Australia and New Zealand where they won three out of four games, including a first ever triumph over the Crusaders in Christchurch.

The 13 points they collected on the road had also enabled them to stay comfortably ahead in the domestic conference where they led the Bulls by 11 points and the Stormers by 20.

White believed all they need to do now was to continue what they had been doing, with victory also set to ensure they could not be caught. Only two games remain after this one.

"We don't have to be flashy, we don't have to do anything different, we don't have to try or win any awards or anything, we just have to win.

"The boys know they get a few weeks off from next week, so we can put everything into this fixture and then as long as we keep winning, no one can catch up to us.

"That's the position you want to be in and not in a position where you're relying on team A to beat team B for you to get through."

White, who had made one change to his side drafting in the fit again flanker Marcell Coetzee for Jacques Botes, insisted there was little that could be read into the Stormers' adverse form this season, warning they could never be written off.

"They didn't have a good run early on but they are definitely improving. They're playing better rugby now and their confidence will be much higher."

Stormers coach Allister Coetzee made two forced changes to his XV with Schalk Burger (neck) and Kobus van Wyk (wrist) replaced by Siya Kolisi and Sailosi Tagicakibau.

"The Sharks are not the log-leaders for nothing," Coetzee said.

"They've grown in confidence as the tournament has progressed and their win over the Crusaders in Christchurch says a lot about their character and state of mind."

The sides have met 20 times with an even split of results at 10-10.

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