SINGAPORE - The Sunwolves finished last in the 15-team Super Rugby last year, but the highlight of their season was improving their win rate to three from two in 2017 and one in 2016.

Two of the wins last year came against two South African sides, the Bulls in their only home match in Singapore, and the Stormers.

The Japanese side will open their 2019 season against another South African team, the Sharks, at the National Stadium on Saturday (Feb 16, 6.55pm) and they are hoping to repeat their success last year.

"They're a very good side, very physical, and very well-drilled," said Sunwolves' co-captain Craig Millar, 28, at the captain's run yesterday. "We know we're in for an awesome battle.

"We've hit a good run against South African teams in places like this so we're looking to work harder."

The Sunwolves need to be on top of their game if they hope to beat the Sharks, who were eighth last season.

The team will mostly be expatriates because some key Japanese players will be unavailable owing to the Rugby World Cup in September.

Head coach Tony Brown will not be guiding his charges tonight owing to commitments with the Japanese national team. Assistant coach Scott Hansen will stand in for the New Zealander.

"We've picked the best team and how it's been picked is through practice in pre-season. We also have players back from injury," said Hansen.

The Sunwolves believe that the pre-season training camp in Melbourne has set them up nicely for the campaign.

"Being able to get out of the Japanese winter briefly before our first game is just going to be massive for us going forward," said Millar.

"It's little things like that that go a really long way in terms of preparing a team and getting your foundation ready for the first game."

The Sharks are looking forward to playing an expansive game tonight.

"To get into the play-offs, you have to score tries and your offensive system has to be very good," said Sharks head coach Robert du Preez. "There have been big improvements for us in not only creating opportunities but also executing those opportunities."

Captain Louis Schreuder added: "We want to score tries because the only way you can win is if you score tries. We also want to keep the people entertained, to play for our fans and for each other."

When asked about the Sunwolves' approach, Hansen said: "We've talked about doing what we can to disrupt the ball and source, fronting up to them physically and being dominant. Rugby can be quite a simple game if you get that part right."

For Sunwolves-Sharks tickets: www.sportshub.com.sg/SuperRugby