Sunday, 13th May 2007 at 6:14 pm

Durban warms up for the big one

One or two mild flutters, perhaps, and a final score that might not have done the Blues much justice, but in Durban, nobody cares - the Sharks are in the final, and that’s all that matters. A late Bob Skinstad-inspired surge saw the team that finished top of the Super 14 log set up a home final, and ensure a monumental hangover for Durban on Sunday morning (and quite possibly Monday as well).

But there’s still the small matter of a final against the Bulls, and a game that will drag up the provincialism antagonism that defined local rugby for so long. A week after Sharks fans cheered on the Bulls, and vice versa, the two groups of supporters will be bitter enemies, and the Shark Tank will host one of the fiercest rugby battles Super rugby will have seen. A week of intense rhetoric and furious debate lies ahead; the Shark Tank will do well to still be standing come the end of 80 minutes on Saturday.