Ulster still strong without stars, says Sharks centre

Sharks centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg expects Ulster to be strong opponents despite missing their international stars for the United Rugby Championship (URC) match this weekend.

Ulster travel to Durban to honour the URC fixture at Kings Park on Saturday (2pm) that was cancelled in October following an outbreak of gastroenteritis in the Irish side’s camp.

With Ireland taking on Italy in the Six Nations on the same day, at least six of Ulster’s players are not available for the trip to Durban.

Kieran Treadwell, Tom O’Toole, Rob Herring, Iain Henderson, Jacob Stockdale and Stuart McCloskey are some of the players that Ulster will miss.

Janse van Rensburg, though, warned that does not mean the Irish club will be easy to dispatch.

“Regardless of whether they have lost a few players or not, it’s still Ulster and they are always going to be a strong team to face,” Janse van Rensburg said.

“Regardless of whether it’s a second-string or first-choice team, I think it’s important for us to win on Saturday. We have to make sure we pitch.

“We found a good rhythm over the weekend against the Lions and there’s still a lot we have to fix this week.”

The Sharks beat the Lions 29-7 at Ellis Park on Saturday and a win against Ulster will take them into the top five in the URC standings.

The Sharks are also without a number of their Springboks. The national team players are in camp as SA have begun the preparations for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.

The Sharks are also set to be without Aphelele Fassi as the utility back sustained an injury against the Lions.