Vodacom Bulls coach Phiwe Nomlomo says he won’t be fooled by the Sharks’ heavy loss to the Lions ahead of Saturday’s Currie Cup clash at Loftus Versfeld.

The Sharks fielded a youthful team in their 46-5 defeat at Ellis Park, but Nomlomo expects a far tougher challenge in Pretoria.

“The Sharks will definitely be stronger this week,” Nomlomo told the media. “They had a few guys unavailable against the Lions, but some of the older players like [lock] Corne Rahl, [loose forward] Tino Mavesere and [prop] Dian Bleuler could get a start. I think we could see a restructuring of their team this week.

“Everyone will be 10% better after a hit-out, so we’re expecting a tough game. That Lions result wasn’t a true reflection of the Sharks. They’re a well-coached team – they won the Currie Cup last year after initially selecting youngsters. Don’t be fooled by last week; they’re still a damn good side.”

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The Bulls kicked off their campaign with a convincing 48-23 win over Western Province in Cape Town, but Nomlomo says there are areas to sharpen up.

“Kick receipts was an area we highlighted after the game. For obvious reasons, it’s something we have to sort out this week to make sure we’re as prepared as possible for the Sharks,” he said.

“We also conceded two soft tries against Province. We pride ourselves on defending our tryline well, so that will be a big focus this weekend.”

Nomlomo was encouraged by how his backline clicked against Province.

“When we got going, we really got going well. It starts with your 9 and 10, and I thought both [Zack Burger and Boeta Chamberlain] were outstanding.

“There’s a lot of confidence in the side and in each other, and that cohesion is coming along. We’re not where we’d like to be yet, but we’ll keep chipping away.”

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With this year’s Currie Cup being played over a single round, Nomlomo stressed the importance of smart squad management.

“You’ve got to be spot-on with your planning,” he said. “We will see more debutants on the weekend because we know that at the back end of the competition, we’ll need fresh legs, especially because our squad is slightly smaller than in the past.”

Photo: Nokwanda Zondi/BackpagePix