The Sharks finished the pool stage in fifth position with two wins and two defeats. They drop into the Challenge Cup round of 16, to be played in April.
Sharks interim coach JP Pietersen said his experience in the Champions Cup this year had highlighted the importance of winning away and having a full squad of skilled players when balancing two tournaments.
The Sharks won their final pool game 50-12 against Clermont at Kings Park on Saturday to finish the stage with two wins and two losses. Though they were fourth in the pool for a few hours, Toulouse’s emphatic 77-7 victory over Sale in France meant they dropped to fifth place.
Instead of proceeding to the Champions Cup play-offs, the Sharks will now drop into the second-tier Challenge Cup round of 16, to be played in April.
Sharks gave themselves a chance
Pietersen addressed media while waiting for the Toulouse result, hoping Saracens could win away.
“The message was clear this week: We want to win this game and the rest will take care of itself,” he said.
The Sharks coach added his starting XV “did the job” by playing at a high tempo and making Clermont tired, though the Sharks only led 14-12 at half-time thanks to two knock-ons from attacking positions, and another over the try line.
“You could see there were a lot of knock-ons and it looked deurmekaar [confused]. But it was part of the plan to play at high tempo, especially in the Durban afternoon heat.”
He said his team’s tempo caused Clermont to make their own errors, and earn a 20-minute red card and two yellow cards for poor discipline.
“If you play fast it will take them longer to get onside. So you must give credit to us for keeping the tempo and accuracy in the game. I know the feeling of being on the other side [of that tempo]. I’ve been in Toulouse. This is a good result for us.”
Lessons learned
He said he had learned that the Sharks would not reach the round of 16 so long as they lost their away pool matches. His second-string teams were thrashed 56-19 by Toulouse in France and 26-10 by Sale Sharks in Manchester.
You can see what Bristol did at Loftus. They came here [to South Africa] and won.”
On his young players, who had not always produced Champions Cup-level performances, he said, “To play in two competitions, you need a squad. That is why we are giving players exposure. And also to see if they can play at this level.
“Jurenzo [Julius] was good at 12 today. And PK [Sobahle] came alive. I need to give opportunities, I can’t just say someone is not good enough and not play him.”
