Flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse, winger Makazole Mapimpi, and tighthead Vincent Koch failed head injury assessments following this past Saturday’s 20-8 loss to Toulouse in Durban. 

Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth, who is also battling to recover from a concussion, and backs André Esterhuizen and Aphelele Fassi are also on the mend. However, loose forward Pepsi Buthelezi said the mood in the camp is good, and they are focused on their goal for the weekend.

‘We’ve got our work cut out for us’

“When we arrived, the weather was about minus 2 degrees, so it’s a bit of a change for us coming from a hot and humid Durban. But we’re all in a really good space. 

“Our goal for this week is pretty simple and straightforward. We obviously want to qualify for the Round of 16 and know that we’ve got our work cut out for us,” he said.

Buthelezi said the team was gutted by their loss to Toulouse last weekend but has put the disappointment behind them.

‘We’ve turned over a new page’

“We really don’t like losing at home and we don’t like losing in a Sharks jersey. We feel that we had enough opportunities last week to put that game away. 

“But we’ve turned over a new page and look forward to getting stuck into training this week.”

Union Bordeaux-Begles have won all their pool games so far, but the Sharks only need one bonus point to qualify. Sunday’s match will kick off at 15:00.

OFM Sport/Ilse Smalberger mvh