Mark Jones has told his Ospreys side to travel to Durban intent on beating the Sharks rather than simply surviving, as the region opens its United Rugby Championship season on Saturday.
The Ospreys face the Sharks at Hollywoodbets Kings Park (4pm), the first of four games on the road, and Jones was blunt about the mindset required.
“We’re not talking about holding our own. We want to go out there and try to be a team that’s not just holding its own, that’s actually trying to get on top. That’s what you have to do,” he said.
“You can’t go in with a survival attitude. South African teams won’t respect you. We’ve had some tough battles against South African teams, the Sharks being one of those for a number of seasons. They’re a top-quality outfit. If you just go in there to survive, you’re going to come unstuck.”
‘No good time to play the South Africans’
The Sharks are without several of their Springbok internationals, but Jones dismissed any suggestion that softens the task.
“There’s no good time to play the South Africans. They’re the best rugby nation in the world at the moment, across a lot of age groups and competitions,” he said.
“It’s the same shirt, but the quality within it is exactly the same, if not better in some ways. They’ve got a lot of young talent coming through, and just because you don’t necessarily recognise the name today, within a few months they’ll be on the lips of a lot of people in the rugby world.”
He identified where the game will be won.
“We know that they’re very strong around the set piece and we need to make sure that we’re right on for that,” he said. “They’re going to challenge us physically around the ball carry and the gain line, and we need to be ready for that emotionally but also technically.”
A tour with a purpose
Jones sees value in opening away from home with a squad still getting to know itself, four players making their competitive debuts.
“It’s very tough rugby, tough opposition, but it’s a good opportunity to come away to a good rugby environment where you’re together as a group,” he said.
“If you have got new players coming in, which we have, and some players coming out of the academy, it’s just a good way to find out a bit more about each other and get away from home a little bit.
“For a couple of the boys that have had new babies recently, they get a good night’s sleep as well, they tell me, so I just don’t tell their wives.”
‘Send a good message to our supporters’
The head coach was clear about what would constitute a successful weekend, with the region still living under the uncertainty of the WRU’s restructure.
“If we get a good performance in this weekend, that’s really what we’re after. If we come away from it with points, it’ll be an absolute bonus, and we’ll be delighted,” he said.
“But we just want to show some progress from the pre-season and from last season. We want to send a good message out to our supporters that we’re in decent shape for this season coming.”
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