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Sharks want to continue their bravery against Blues
Playing in Auckland, the Sharks went into the match against a team they boast a good record against facing a potential crisis after disappointing losses on tour to first the Brumbies and then the Rebels. The Rebels in particular had been rampant in Melbourne and had exposed the Sharks’ defensive structure.
Before that the Sharks had disappointed at home too, so the warning bells were clanging loudly as they headed across the Tasman Sea for the second part of their Australasian tour. They’d spent some time working on defence and some other aspects of their game with Springbok assistant coach Jacques Nienaber, but no-one gave them much hope of getting it right in New Zealand.
Think again. The Sharks were rampant against the Blues, and with Jean-Luc du Preez turning in a world class performance on the flank, and his brother Robert producing a big performance at flyhalf, the Sharks ended up winning a crazy high scoring game 60-43. Although that scoreline suggests that it was close at stages, there was never really any doubting the Sharks would win.
The Sharks have tended to have the wood over the Blues down the years and the defeat last season should only have added to the determination of a Blues side that tested the Crusaders last week before going down narrowly. The Kiwis will be a very different proposition to the Sunwolves at Jonnson King’s Park on Saturday, but then the Sharks, starting with that win at Eden Park last March, were good against New Zealand teams in 2018. They went on from the Blues win to be unlucky to lose to the Hurricanes a week later, and then easily saw off both the Highlanders and Chiefs at home.
For assistant coach David Williams, who is in charge of the Sharks’ attacking game, the six try win over the Sunwolves on the opening weekend was the perfect start to their Vodacom Super Rugby campaign as it will put his team in the perfect frame of mind ahead of what could be a tough game. In a nutshell, it gave them the necessary confidence after they’d struggled a bit to convert their scoring opportunities in the pre-season games, and they will now be more prepared to back the bravery that he is encouraging from the team.
“I just love a team that sees the field and has to bravery to take chances, although I do temper it with not being silly with the ball,” said Williams.
“Against the Sunwolves the bravery was there. I talk to the players about the creation of pictures of what we want to achieve. It was there against the Sunwolves.”
Although some would say the Sunwolves aren’t the perfect yardstick to measure yourself against, Williams disagrees.
“They are still 15 guys that are going to go out there to tackle you and they have massive intent,” he said.
“They might not have the talent of other teams but they have good coaches and processes and and in terms of their attitude they are a tough team to play against…
“In terms of the outcome, we earned five points and scored six tries and most of the tries were well worked in stiflingly humid conditions. We went in with a clear plan to be physically aggressive and dominant and we got what we wanted.”
One of the best tries was the one scored by Sbu Nkosi off a set-move that started from a scrum set well inside the Sharks’ half.
“The guys worked hard in the off-season on those moves,” confirmed Williams, who although he tries to deflect the praise has often been regarded as the mastermind of the impressive rugby produced by the Southern Kings in the second half of the 2016 Super Rugby season.
“It is always nice when those kinds of tries come off but we have to thank the forwards for the platform they created,” he added.
Indeed, the Sharks’ 45-10 triumph in Singapore came about because of an impressive blend of skill and brute force, not to mention the planning that has just been mentioned. It led to the most positive start the Sharks have made to a season in a long while, and they are eager to continue the momentum against the Blues rather than fall into the inconsistency that blighted their 2018 campaign.?It won’t be easy. There has been a lot of talk in New Zealand of a potential Blues renaissance after years of failure, and they showed a lot of potential against the Crusaders. With All Black centre Ma’a Nonu back in the country and adding presence to the midfield, the Aucklanders are a well rounded side that will be hard to beat.
“Personnel-wise, the Blues are a great side. We have seen a few things we can possibly exploit but I think playing in front of our home crowd will be our biggest advantage as it will bring out an extra 10 percent from the boys. Playing at home is huge.”
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