Natal has hit the bull's eye with Putt

It should really not be enough time to make a definitive call either way, but in Kevin Putt's case three weeks has provided more than enough evidence that the Natal Rugby Union hit the bull's eye with their choice of coach.

Those who have been covering Sharks and Natal rugby and attending training sessions every other week for the past few years would not have needed the past few games to make such a judgement.

From as early as Putt's first week in charge there was talk of a dramatic lift in intensity at training. Two weeks later when a local club coach who has been around a bit popped in to take a look, he expressed his surprise by saying that for a moment he thought he had walked into a Brumbies training session.

The noise level and intensity at a Sharks session under Putt is certainly reminiscent of the Brumbies. Putt has placed a big stress on the need for the players to communicate with one another and they are doing just that.

While the Sharks ended up losing to the Crusaders in Putt's third match in charge, no-one who was at ABSA Stadium could have doubted the progress that has been made since the talkative and articulate Kiwi took over.

Indeed, the team that attacked the Crusaders with a combination of passing and running hitherto only seen from the Stormers bore little resemblence to the stereotyped combination that played overseas just a few weeks ago.

Putt said afterwards that the team had let themselves down by trying to run too often. Certainly the Justin Marshall try which came off a turn-over off a Sharks attempt to run under their own posts was an important moment in the game.

But to me the most positive thing about the Sharks performance against the Crusaders was their willingness to try things. Instead of taking the conservative route, as they might previously have done, they attacked with 50/50 balls.

Although they were denied possession for much of the second half, the Sharks still managed to score a try - a good one at that - and launched several telling attacks in which they were only just denied the score.

Yes, Stefan Terblanche made a critical mistake when he kicked the ball that was charged down by Ben Blair for the Crusaders fullback's second try. But as Ian Mac used to say, sometimes you need to learn to lose before you can learn to win.

And learn the Sharks certainly are. Speaking to some of the players afterwards, one of the aspects of Putt's coaching that they were most enthusiastic about was the emphasis he has placed on individual skills.

This means that for the first time in a long time the Stormers are not the only South African team who have quickness of hand and the ability to pass the ball through the tackle. Now that the initial shock to the body of all that running is wearing off, the forwards are also starting to play a more prominent role in the attacks.

What Putt has done is build on the foundations laid by Straeuli and introduce that long awaited extra dimension. He has encouraged the players to run and make decisions, he has introduced a flair that was there when Butch James was at flyhalf but which has seldom been there since.

However Putt's greatest strength may be one that was also big with Straeuli - namely the willingness to be brave when it comes to selection.

His decision to make the remaining weeks of the Super 12 a form of extended trial did not go down with everyone in Durban. All they wanted was to see the team win and to hell with any rebuilding.

I am not completely sold on Putt's policy either as the Super 12 is supposed to be a regional competition and quite clearly he is building for the Currie Cup.

If this were not so, then surely Chad Alcock would have reaped something from his rotation policy before now.

But there can be no denying that he is busy doing a very good job of building up an extremely strong resource base for the coming Currie Cup season. His employers at ABSA Stadium should be well pleased with the way he has made more than 10 changes in the space of three games and yet kept his team on the right track.

As Putt himself says, not one of the players he has tried had a poor game. Even young Clyde Rathbone, who appears to be the only decent homegrown centre in the absence of Trevor Halstead, made a full fist of his opportunity to play off the bench against the Crusaders.

Normally winning forces a coach to don a straight-jacket which makes it impossible to look at anything but the material that got him that positive result.

But Putt wasted no time after the win over the Blues in his opening match to disavow that notion. Herkie Kruger, the man he lauded to the rafters, was left out of the following game. He has not played now in two weeks.

Instead Gaffie du Toit has been strutting his stuff and he has been doing it extremely effectively.

But does two good performances in a row gaurantee Du Toit another run against the Reds on Saturday? No siree. Putt has made it clear Kruger will be back for this one and despite the good performance against Crusaders there will again be a few changes.

It is Putt's intention to select his first full strength side for the matches against the Bulls and the Cats in the last two weekends.

Considering the options he has available, there is good reason for both those teams, who have been handsomely whipped by overseas opposition this season, to quake in their boots.

Presumably Putt will then also become less rigid in his "old fashioned" approach to substitutions. The coach says he is deliberately playing some guys to a standstill so that he can see how they react under stress.

Putt has adopted a holistic approach in which assessment of each player's overall character is a significant component. He remembers from his playing days that there are certain people you would want to have in the trenches with you and certain people you wouldn't.

Already he has learned a great deal. Already the players have learned a great deal from the experience of all having to play for their places. Putt has taken Sharks rugby by the scruff of the neck and shaken it up. The last Sharks coach who did such a thing ended up coaching the Springboks.

Don't bet against Putt following a similar path.