Are the Sharks in a hopeless situation? Hardly…
The Durbanites have been frustratingly inconsistent in Super Rugby this season. But their record against Kiwi teams is surprisingly good.
Sharks midfielder Lukhanyo Am takes on the Jaguares defence. Photo: Gallo Images.
If mere numbers are going to cited, the Sharks are in a hopeless situation going into their Super Rugby quarterfinal against the Crusaders in Christchurch on Saturday.
The Durbanites only won seven of their 16 regular season matches and squeezed into a wildcard position following last weekend’s triumph over the Jaguares.
In contrast, their opponents won 14 of their 16 games and set the standard in this year’s tournament.
Bleak is putting it mildly for the Sharks.
But what those basic numbers don’t reveal immediately is that Robert du Preez’s troops beat three New Zealand teams in 2018.
They haven’t faced the Crusaders this year and lost 37-38 to the Hurricanes in New Zealand.
However, they memorably thrashed the Blues 63-40 in Auckland, held a gritty Chiefs outfit at bay 28-24 and produced a superb performance to overwhelm the Highlanders 38-19.
It’s little wonder Du Preez is quite bullish about the trip to the South Island.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity and massive challenge. We want to go out and beat them, otherwise we might as well stay at home,” he said.
Indeed, the Sharks seemed to have realised that the old South African virtues of tough forward play, suffocating defence and focusing on the counter-attack still troubles New Zealand sides.
In every match they’ve played against a Kiwi team, those tactics have been employed to obvious good effect.
Sharks captain Ruan Botha has clearly picked up on that.
“The Crusaders have small attacking plays that are very effective. We need to put those skills under pressure but I do feel we have the defence to do that. They’ve got a world-class front row and locks,” said the towering lock.
“It’s inevitable that it will be a battle up front. Personally, I don’t think the Crusaders have been tested physically this season yet. That’s the challenge for us.”
It’s a challenge they can realistically hope to deal with successfully.
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