It's the Butch and Brent show
Forget about the fact, already acknowledged by the team and their coach Kevin Putt, that the Sharks should have had last week's Currie Cup clash with the Blue Bulls sewn up by half-time.
Looking back, in anger or otherwise, doesn't help. It's water under the bridge.
Go along to Absa Stadium on Saturday and look forward to a clash at flyhalf that may not only decide the outcome of this Curie Cup encounter, but could also have great significance for South African rugby as a whole.
A year ago the South African rugby public was abuzz with excitement over the robust talents of a raw 22-year-old named Butch James. Then misfortune and injury stepped in to cruelly terminate what had promised to be a season of personal triumph for the former Maritzburg College lad.
It says much for James's determination and character that he refused to allow these setbacks to deter him.
In the next eight days the KZN flyhalf will face two players who are currently rated Nos 1 and 2 in that position by Springbok coach Rudolf Straeuli. The outcome of these personal tussles, against Pumas flyhalf Brent Russell on Saturday afternoon, and the Lions pivot Andre Pretorius at Ellis Park next weekend, could go a long way towards showing the national coaching boss the way forward for next year's World Cup in Australia.
Russell and James could not strike a greater physical contrast if they tried. It's a casting director's dream - an updated version of David and Goliath.
Russell is arguably the most exciting backline player to emerge since Mannetjies Roux. He has pace aplenty, flair and vision. But to typecast James as a lumbering giant beside the colourful Russell would be a huge injustice.
The Sharks pivot has all the attributes of a class act - and his shrewd tactical and much improved goalkicking are attributes at this level that an accomplished flyhalf can ill-afford to be without.
This match, however, is about much more than these two rivals. Neither Putt nor Mark Andrews will have forgotten how the Pumas for the most part outplayed the Lions in Welkom a week ago, and how the visitors needed a 55m penalty by Louis Koen to snatch victory by a single point in extra time.
Derrick Grobbelaar leads a pack that is as tough as they come. The backs, with Russell and the likes of Marius Goosen, Hannes Venter and Weldon Saayman, a crash-tackling centre in the Ryk van Schoor mould, aren't to be sneezed at either.
Putt has had to tinker with his line-up as a result of injury and the need to keep up morale. Gaffie du Toit is back - so are Andre Snyman, Rodger Smith, Charl van Rensburg and Brad Macleod-Henderson.
But the coach knows exactly what he is doing - remember how well a radically changed Sharks line-up performed in the Super 12 against the Canterbury Crusaders?
A final thought for next week. Though they had defended brilliantly, the Sharks seemed out on their feet in the final minutes at Loftus. Perhaps the team should fly up on the morning of the Lions match?