Sharks the priority for Mvovo

The Umtata speedster is one of a handful of experienced campaigners left at the Sharks as they look to build a new future with coach Rob du Preez at the helm. The current preseason squad is beaming with more than a few young faces meaning Mvovo, with 17 Springbok caps to his name, will have a dual role to play this year.

First and foremost, the Sharks need Mvovo back to his best. 2016 wasn’t a great year for the 30-year-old Sharks veteran at international level. He struggled to find form in the green and gold and was left at home for the Northern Hemisphere tour in November.

While he looks to rediscover his form, Mvovo will also be mentoring a batch of exciting young players in the wider squad during the final six weeks of preseason preparation before Super Rugby gets underway.

He admits that he has a bit more to do this year.

“It has changed a bit with a couple of youngsters around. You have to give a bit of advice to them, as I was when I came into the system. It’s exciting to see how the youngsters are gelling and fitting in,” Mvovo said.

The Sharks put in a big block of preseason training before the December holidays and continued in earnest this week. While there are just over six weeks left until Super Rugby kicks off, the Durban outfit is focusing on building a strong foundation.

“It’s been about getting the basics right because we haven’t played in a while. You don’t want to start too hard but you want to get the basics as well as the game plan right, which is really important,” Mvovo said.

“The first game is pretty important to us – so we’re building towards that.”

A new era at Kings Park

It becomes abundantly clear while watching practice that the Sharks are a very different animal compared to years past. While a core nucleus of veterans (the Lambies, Daniels, Mtawariras and Ndunganes) bridge the gap from old to new, a wealth of young talent is itching for a chance to prove their worth to the equally exciting coaching team headed by Du Preez.

Mvovo is of the opinion that Du Preez, as well as new CEO Gary Teichmann, are laying the foundation for a period of resurgence in Durban.

“There is (a different feeling) in the whole company. I think we are all working towards a similar goal and that is to win and bring back crowds to the stadium. Rob has done some good work – we went down to Port Shepstone for a mini-camp to develop our culture and set our goals for the next three years.”

The wing has been part of some highly successful Sharks squads in the past and feels this crop of players has the attitude to become a successful unit.

“Look there have been some great squads before and I don’t want to take anything away from them – we went to a couple of finals. I can see a lot of similarities with the squad and these youngsters coming in. They’re hungry, they’re willing to work hard so that we can bring back a winning culture at the Sharks.”

Back to his best

As for putting right the disappointments at national level last year, Mvovo says he isn’t thinking that far ahead.

“For me it’s about taking care of things at home, and the Sharks are my home. The Springboks only get together in June and I’m not even looking that far ahead. I’m focusing on Super Rugby. We’ve got something good going on here and I don’t want to spoil that by looking too far ahead," Mvovo said.

The Sharks face the Reds in Brisbane in their Super Rugby opener on February 24.