Phepsi Buthelezi admits the Sharks will “have our work cut out for us” against Bordeaux on Sunday.
The Sharks enter their final Investec Champions Cup pool match after losing 20-8 at home to Toulouse.
For now, the best John Plumtree’s side can hope for is to maintain fourth place in the six-team pool, which is still good enough to qualify for the round of 16.
They are five points ahead of winless Ulster and Exeter, who play each other on Friday, and also have a superior point differential. So the Sharks could lose to Bordeaux without scoring a bonus point and potentially still qualify for the playoffs.
“We’re all in a really good space,” Buthelezi said Wednesday. “Our goal this week is very simple and straightforward: we definitely want to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions Cup.”
The sharks arrived in southwestern France on Tuesday and it was a stark contrast to their home city.
“It was minus 2 degrees so it’s a bit of a change coming from hot and humid Durban,” Buthelezi said.
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Bordeaux went top with convincing wins in all three of their games, including a 69-17 win over Exeter last weekend.
“We know we are running out of things to do,” Buthelezi said. “Bordeaux is a high-quality team. We are doing really well in the top 14 (top level) and in the Champions Cup.
“They came up short in the Champions Cup last season (losing 42-41 to Harlequins at home in the quarter-finals) and will want to put that right.
“They’ve had a lot of tries in the last five or six games, so we know we have to roll up our sleeves defensively.”
Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images
