‘Buzz’ around Sharks Champions Cup debut
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Sharks wing Yaw Penxe believes there is a “buzz” in Durban ahead of the South African club’s first venture into the Heineken Champions Cup when they host Harlequins on Saturday.
He has been with Cell C Sharks since 2020 and can’t wait to take to the pitch in EPCR action for the first time this weekend in the Pool A matchup at Hollywoodbets Kings Park.
“It’s an exciting, tough competition. It looks very tough, but we are keen to get stuck into it,” said the 25-year-old.
“I’m looking forward to playing Bordeaux and we have Harlequins as well, which is also going to be a very good challenge for us.
“I don’t think Harlequins are going to be too different to the teams we play in in our competition, the URC (United Rugby Championship). French guys are obviously a different challenge as a whole, though – bigger guys, heavier guys, so we’re very excited.”
Boeta Chamberlain nailed THREE drop-goals in one game last season 🤯
— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) November 23, 2022
We asked for the @SharksRugby fly-half’s top tips on being a successful kicker and who he looks up to - no surprise @DanCarter & @JonnyWilkinson got a mention 🤩#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/EkiML1nslC
Penxe highlighted former Cell C Sharks man Stephan Lewies, who now represents Harlequins, as a player his side must contain.
“Stephan, who’s played at the Sharks, is a really good player and they’ve got dangerous backs,” he commented. “We’ve just got to be wary of their backs as a whole and their exciting back three as well.”
Penxe is looking forward to a special occasion at Hollywoodbets Kings Park Stadium and to the competition in general.
“It’s obviously coming up now, so there is a lot of excitement,” he pointed out. “I think it’s a combination of all that [fans, stadiums, teams].
“Obviously, we’re going to be playing at some world-class stadiums, it’s a big competition as well and we’re going to be meeting different people, coming across different cultures, so it’s just exciting as a whole.
“The Harlequins fans were sending messages about getting tickets weeks ago already, so it’s going to be big, and Durban loves rugby. There is definitely a buzz around the game.”
