Coach JP Pietersen said his players carry confidence into their next fixture after recording their first win of the tournament.
Mathematically unable to reach the Currie Cup play-offs, previous winners Sharks now head into their first match of the tournament with some momentum and confidence.
The Durban side came out tops in their bottom-of-the-table clash with Western Province at Kings Park on the weekend. After four defeats (only one of them was close), the Sharks recorded their first win, and it came with a bonus point.
Winger Phikolomzi Sobahle shone on the night, making 10 carries and scoring a try. Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, Bathobele Hlekani and Jaco Williams also crossed, while Jean Smith scored a penalty and three conversions.
Win a reward for character
Coach JP Pietersen said it was a well-deserved win and set up their next game nicely, which will be played against in-form Boland Cavaliers at Woodburn Stadium, Pietermaritzburg, on Saturday.
“They showed extreme character in five games and to get the win is rewarding for them,” the Sharks coach said. “I am extremely happy with them, especially for [captain] Nick Hatton, for keeping up the standards and fighting.”
He said part of fielding so many youngsters in the tournament squad was the risk of them going off script. But it was part of the learning experience.
“Lessons I learned are to be more clinical in our own half. Don’t force it if it’s not on. Sometimes there was no momentum and we kept playing and we kept getting behind the advantage line.
“If we make a smarter decision earlier, we will save a lot of energy and make it easier for us to play.”
He commended SA U20 utility forward Bathobele Hlekani, and 19-year-old hooker Liam van Wyk for his work in the lineout, tackling, and matching Province veteran Scarra Ntubeni in the scrum.
Sharks know Boland will be out for them
Pietersen said the win gave the Sharks belief, but they could not underestimate Boland, who fought back from 21–3 at half-time to beat the Pumas with a four-try bonus point in Nelspruit.
It was Boland’s third win in a row. They sit second on the table with four wins, tied on points with leaders Cheetahs, but having a lower points difference.
With two games left to play – Sharks hosting Pumas, and Boland playing away to Western Province in the final round – a historically strong union seeks to restore some pride while the other, newly-promoted to the Currie Cup, hopes to lift the trophy for the first time.
