A Successful Day at the Office:
The close scoreline in the Cell C Sharks victory over the Jaguares on Saturday evening at Growthpoint KINGS PARK suggests that they had to dig deep to win a game of near test match proportions.
Against the Kings the previous week, there was a real opportunity to play attacking, running rugby, but it was a different story against the Argentinians who were always going to present a different challenge.
Director of Rugby Gary Gold likened his team’s tight and competitive Vodacom Super Rugby clash with the Jaguares to a Test match.
“Nearly a dozen of their team played in the Test match against South Africa in Durban last year and were victorious; they really are a good team,” he said after the match.
“They ask a lot of questions with ball in hand and we needed to be more ruthless on attack ourselves but we weren’t, so there is a lot of room to improve.”
But ultimately, getting a win against such tough opposition to maintain their unbeaten record deserves praise and Gold did emphasise that he was proud of his team.
“I’m really happy with the character shown, we saw that late in the game with a fantastic defensive effort when the Jaguares were really playing, when it could have ended disastrously. The guys stuck in there; it was a very tough day at the office.
Finding ways to win is the mark of a quality side. Sometimes it takes a different game plan and alternative mindset, as alluded to above with regards to the completely different challenges facing the Cell C Sharks over the past two Saturdays.
The attack was given license against the Kings, while the Jaguares match was a proper arm wrestle.
“We could lament the things we didn’t do well, or we could choose to celebrate the areas we’ve improved on,” said Gold. “I think the answer lies in having a humble balance: realizing that we’re a long way from being the finished product.
“We want to convert opportunities into scores. We didn’t do that nearly often enough and we need to work on that. But it was a good test for us, we have Kiwi teams to play and this was a good exercise for us because we’re going to have to deal with them.
“As long as we’re improving, I’m satisfied.”
On the injury front, Gold added that there were no major concerns. “Thank goodness nothing too serious. Cobus Reinach and Kyle Cooper both hurt their shoulders a little, but that’s all.”
The post A Successful Day at the Office appeared first on Sharks Rugby.
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