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Sharks confident they’ve fixed the errors

rugby06 March 2019 15:28| © Cycle Lab
By:JJ Harmse
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Cell C Sharks Players © Getty Images

The Sharks forwards have made no attempt to hide from the fact that it was them that let the side down against the Stormers and they know they will travel to Pretoria under massive pressure to produce.

The Sharks face the Bulls at Loftus on Saturday evening in what for them will be their second derby match of the current Vodacom Super Rugby campaign.

With log points lost and earned in the derby component of the season effectively worth double for their impact on the jockeying for positions in the local conference, it's a crucial game for Louis Schreuder’s team.

The Sharks lost to the Stormers because they came second in the set-piece battle.

If that happens again at Loftus, the Sharks could find themselves staring into the abyss.

While the Sharks’ defence somehow kept the Stormers’ lead to manageable proportions at King’s Park - it was an error-ridden performance from both teams - that is unlikely to be the case if the Bulls big men get on top in Pretoria, where the fast playing surface and altitude can make it particularly tough for a coastal team that doesn't front.

Just ask the Stormers.

The Bulls will be without regular captain and lineout kingpin Lood de Jager, and in time we may yet see just how crucial his four month absence will be, but the gargantuan Springbok wasn't there when the Bulls dominated the Lions pack at Emirates Airlines Park last week either.

The warning was sounded by the Bulls forwards to future opponents, and the Sharks took note.

“The Bulls-Lions game at the weekend was won and lost in the scrums and the lineouts, where the Bulls exerted a lot of pressure,” agreed the Sharks’ 23-year-old lock Hyron Andrews.

“This weekend we can expect the same thing from the Bulls and it will be the pack that comes out on top in the set-pieces that wins the match. They will provide opportunities for their backs and make it hard for us.”

'SA DERBIES ALWAYS A PHYSICAL BATTLE'

Andrews emphasised that the turnaround would have to be driven by the correction of elementary errors rather than by a lift in testosterone levels.

“Our accuracy in the lineouts let us down against the Stormers. In the first two games, against the Sunwolves and the Blues, we had a good set-piece,” said Andrews.

“As a result we could get our game going. But against the Stormers we made some basic errors, some of it due to the pressure the opposition exerted and some of our own doing. We have looked long and hard at it and feel like it is under control now. Basic errors can be fixed.”

They can indeed, and the Sharks just need to look at what their opponents from last week have done in their last two matches for inspiration.

The Stormers’ lineout was badly shown up by the Bulls, but has functioned well in the last two games and was dominant against the Sharks.

The Stormers do possess plenty of riches when it comes to lineout forwards, and arguably should never have been in a position where they were battling.

But whatever the case, Andrews is convinced Loftus shouldn’t hold any fears for the team if they just transfer their preparations during the build-up week onto the playing field on Saturday.

“South African derbies are always a physical battle, but if we stick to our plan, we will give it to the Bulls. We are not just going to Loftus to compete.”

That is fighting talk from Andrews, but then it appears it has been one of those tough weeks that often leads to a stunning turn-around in form.

According to the 2.02 metre product of Hoerskool Garsfontein and the Blue Bulls schools system, there has been a lot of introspection and many hard words traded post the Stormers game.

“We were very hard on each other this week regarding how we played against the Stormers. It is positive criticism and it is not taken personally. We understand that we have to be tough on each other for the sake of the team. It is effectively a brother telling you that you screwed up so let’s fix it.”

Andrews could have a new second row partner at Loftus as Ruan Botha has a foot injury that prevented him from training in the early part of the week.

Losing the most experienced lock will add extra pressure for Andrews, but he is maturing rapidly as a player and will relish the litmus test of his abilities that Loftus is shaping up to be.

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