JP Pietersen has identified securing the Sharks' first away win in Europe as the primary objective when they face Lyon this weekend, with six Springboks sitting out the opener before linking up with the squad ahead of next week's trip to Cardiff.
The Springboks were given an obligatory rest period following the international break, with Pietersen confirming the squad will assess their condition on Sunday before announcing the Cardiff team on Monday.
Lyon arrive into the fixture on the back of a loss to La Rochelle, and Pietersen is expecting a highly charged home performance from the French side, with the first 20 minutes identified as critical.
"Home games are so important. It's do or die for a home game, so we know tomorrow they're going to be highly emotional. They lost against La Rochelle last week, so obviously their backs are against the wall," Pietersen said. "Whatever they throw at us, the first 20 minutes are going to be so important for us to stay in the game or even start the game well and put them under pressure."
The two sides last met in the Challenge Cup Round of 16 on April 6, 2025, when Lyon ran out 34-21 winners after building a commanding 27-7 half-time lead.
Pietersen pushed back on suggestions that the Sharks are fielding a weakened side, pointing to caps tallies across the match-day 23. "If you look into detail about our team, it's quite an experienced team. There are guys who have played close to 50 caps, and others between 50 and 100 caps."
On the broader campaign picture, Pietersen was clear that the Challenge Cup is not being treated as secondary. "One of our goals is to make the playoffs in the Challenge Cup," he said, while also acknowledging the stark challenge of winning away from home. "If you look at last season, we didn't win any games away from home. So the objective is to win a game away from home outside of South Africa."