- Sharks director of rugby Neil Powell said they didn't get the clarity they sought from Makazole Mapimpi's eye transgression against Bordeaux.
- Mapimpi has been suspended for two weeks, meaning he'll miss Saturday's game against the Harlequins in London.
- The Sharks will have to brave the cold of London and an energised home team that has Marcus Smith back.
Sharks director of rugby Neil Powell said the footage they reviewed of Makazole Mapimpi's alleged contact to the eye in the Bordeaux game didn't give them any clarity of whether he was right or wrong.
That said, the Springbok wing will miss Saturday's Heineken Champions Cup encounter against Harlequins at Twickenham Stoop (15:00 SA time) for "making contact with the eye or eye area" of Union Bordeaux-Begles scrumhalf Maxime Lucu.
Mapimpi, who has been suspended for two weeks, was cited following an on-field complaint from Lucu to referee Luke Pearce. Still, video evidence at the time showed nothing conclusive, and play continued.
The European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) Disciplinary Committee deemed that Mapimpi's transgression "warranted a red card" but was on the low end of World Rugby's sanction regulations.
Powell said he couldn't comment further on what transpired at Mapimpi's hearing since he wasn't there but added he would've loved to have him play in London.
Mapimpi has been replaced in the Sharks' match-day 23 by livewire outside back Thaakir Abrahams in one of five changes made by Powell.
"In terms of the footage we sent to them, there wasn't any clarity on whether he did what they said he did," Powell said.
"I wasn't part of the hearing, so I'm unable to comment on what really happened there. Unfortunately, he's suspended for two weeks.
"We would have loved to have him for the Harlequins game because it is an important game for us. His suspension is something we have to accept because it's something that we can't control.
The Sharks saw off the Harlequins 39-31 but had to quell a fightback from the visitors, who capitalised on their numerical advantage.
At some point, the Sharks were down to 13 men, with one of the players who was carded being prop Ox Nche, who was sent off.
That game scarred Powell but also taught him plenty about the danger the Quins pose, especially with their ace playmaker Marcus Smith back in tow.
"They're an 80-minute team, and we experienced this when they forced a comeback even though we were in a comfortable position," Powell said.
"They made it a close game, and while I know that we had a yellow and a red card at some stage, that gave them the motivation to get back into the game.
"They love to attack and playing with the ball in hand, so it's our responsibility to ensure that we starve them of possession and to make them defend more than they can attack.
"They'll be a different team as compared to the one we played against in Durban, especially with Smith back because he contributes to how they play.
With a sustained ridging high-pressure system keeping temperatures high and hot for the better part of South Africa, the Sharks had to move from a toasty Durban to a frigid London.
The Lensbury Hotel that's nestled in the quiet surroundings of Teddington, south of London, hasn't been spared by the brutal weather.
However, the Sharks had the benefit of a direct flight from Johannesburg to Durban, which made their life slightly easier.
Powell said they measured their intensity in London to ensure they had enough in the tank for Saturday.
"We tried to do most of our work in South Africa on Monday and Tuesday, with Tuesday being recovery and Thursday being the performance day," Powell said.
"The aim is to get the guys to be as energised as possible to make sure we have that energy on the field on Saturday.
READ | Stormers move to counter lock crisis with Van Heerden signing
"Thursday's session was to get some cold air into their lungs, with clarity and detail being the most important things for us in this game.
"We visited the stadium, and there was the dome on the field, but the top pitch at the Lensbury is in the shadows, so it was frozen.
"However, they allowed us to train on the bottom field that's closer to the river, and it had decent underfoot conditions."