Inspired by the South African’s physically domineering approach in the World Cup, Sale Sharks travel to the Exeter Chiefs looking to make it three wins from three.
And Sharks director of rugby Alex Sanderson believes controlled aggression – similar to that shown by the Springboks in beating England on their way to the World Cup final – will go a long way to continuing their perfect start at Sandy Park.
He said: “I’ve noticed that South Africa just double down on raw physicality showing there are different ways to win a game, so I’ve taken inspiration, especially as we have a large contingent of South Africans.”
Sanderson has yet to win with Sale away at the Chiefs since assuming his role with the club, and getting this monkey off his back is something he is keen to do.
He said: “It’s not about me, but it is a big incentive.
“We’ve played well down there, but I think to go down there and win, and not many teams do, you can’t just be a little bit better; you got to be a lot better in every area.”
Sharks have overcome two difficult tests with another this weekend, but Sanderson put these victories down to their mentality and believes it will be imperative again.
He said: “It has come down to mentality; we have left some things out there by way of execution and skill errors.
“We have doubled down on some of the things that we know we have in the tank, that being our defence.”
Exeter enter the game looking to rectify last weekend’s defeat to Harlequins and get their second win from two at home.
The Chiefs will be determined to once again stick the dagger into Sharks hearts at Sandy Park as they look to maintain their impressive home record against Sale straight from kick-off at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
