Effort, Energy, Excitement
The Cell C Sharks Under 19s play back-to-back home games in this year’s SA Rugby Under 19 Cup when they host their Valke counterparts on KP2 at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Friday afternoon.
Fresh off an entertaining opening round, 42-10 victory over the Leopards in Durban last Saturday, the Under 19s will look to continue to grow in the tournament, and maintaining their winning ways through good performances will no doubt help on that journey.
Coach Mike Vowles was pleased with the way his charges got the tournament underway last week, saying, “We are very happy that we were able to start the campaign off with a win, I thought the effort, energy and excitement shown on the park was the most rewarding and we were very pleased with that.
“For some of the guys, the last time they played was in school last year, and they really put in a performance we can build on. There were areas that didn’t work as well as we wanted, but where we stuck to our plan from a defence point of view, that game us the reward we needed, so we intend on building on that.
“But it was a good solid outing, one we’re very pleased with.”
Fresh off a 75-29 first round loss to Free State, the Valke Under 19s will no doubt be looking for a big step up this Friday, but for the Cell C Sharks Under 19s, the focus is on themselves and where that can get better.
“We are really looking to improve on the performances, trying to get better and better each week,” Vowles explained.
“We’ve had a good week of prep, the guys are really excited about another challenge and we look forward to putting on an even better display and build on the foundations laid against the Leopards.”
Friday’s game kicks off at 1pm.
Cell C Sharks Under 19s
1. Bradley Stanfliet
2. Ethan Bester
3. Nicholas Snyman
4. Connor Carson
5. Sphephelo Mbonambi
6. Matthew Fick
7. Thomas Dyer (c)
8. Hugo-Ben Hugo
9. Dallyn Beukes
10. Stehan Heymans
11. Spha Ngcobo
12. Drico Marx
13. Themba Sibisi
14. Ntobeko Mhlongo
15. Hendrik Pienaar
Replacements
16. Andrew Davis
17. Faasen Laubscher
18. Siyabonga Dube
19. Garren Muller
20. Sinelifa Ncwana
21. JP Beyers
22. Somanga Jho
23. Minenhle Ngcamu
The post Effort, Energy, Excitement appeared first on The Sharks.
Reflecting on the Cell C Sharks’ 22-all Vodacom United Rugby Championship draw with Munster at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Saturday, Cell C Sharks Director of Rugby Neil Powell pointed out that it had been a game of two halves
He lamented the start to the second half from his team which saw the visiting Irish side haul in a sizable lead they had conceded in the first stanza and then close out the game in dramatic style.
Having enjoyed a rather substantial lead at the break, the Cell C Sharks witnessed Munster coming back strongly in the second half to snatch what was an unlikely draw after finding themselves 19-3 down at the conclusion of an epic first half.
“Looking back at the game, when we were so in control at half-time, we just didn’t respect the game enough in the first 10, 15 minutes of the second half, that’s basically where it went wrong,” Powell admitted after the match.
“Munster started to get momentum and belief that they could get back into the game and we weren’t clinical enough in that first part of the second half to put them away.”
Although the Cell C Sharks finished the pool stages in eighth spot and secured a place in the URC quarter-finals, they sadly lose out to a place in the Heineken Champions Cup tournament to 10th placed Cardiff who won the Welsh Shield.
“We had to beat Munster to give ourselves a chance and it is certainly disappointing that we miss out.
“There were certain focus areas in preparation for this game where we took a massive step up, a lot of things the guys did well. There was a huge effort, defensively they worked hard, committed to the system, so it’s unfortunate that we didn’t get a better result from this game.”
Losing captain Siya Kolisi was a huge blow so early in the game and Powell admitted that, “We have enough quality players to stand in for him, but he is a really good player and it was unfortunate to lose him when we did. He is an influential leader and player.”
The draw has determined that the Cell C Sharks will meet top-placed Leinster at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on 6 May. Leinster return home following a 62-7 loss to the Vodacom Bulls, but will be a different prospect in Ireland in two weeks’ time.
“Leinster are a quality side who play a good brand of rugby and to beat them at their home is going to be a massive challenge,” Powell admitted.
“But in the first 40 minutes of the game [against Munster], we showed glimpses of what this team is capable of: they were really good, really clinical and if we put an 80 minute performance like that together, then we give ourselves an opportunity to go away and beat a quality side like Leinster.
“The Bulls showed that when they beat them last year in the semi-final; it’s not going to be easy, but it is possible.”
The post Frustrating Draw appeared first on The Sharks.
Click here to submit your News – free.
Have you tried: Videos From PE?
Quick Durban KwaZulu-Natal Fact: Sardine Run – An extraordinary natural phenomenon, that is witnessed annually on the KwaZulu-Natal coast, during late autumn or early winter, is the “sardine run”. Also referred to as “the greatest shoal on earth”, the sardine run occurs when millions of sardines migrate from their spawning grounds south of the southern tip of Africa, northwards along the Eastern Cape coastline towards KwaZulu-Natal, following a path close inshore, often resulting in many fish washing up on beaches along the coast. The huge shoal of tiny fish can stretch for many kilometres and is followed and preyed upon by thousands of predators, including game fish, sharks, dolphins and seabirds. Usually the shoals break up and the fish disappear into deeper water around Durban. Many questions surrounding this exceptional event remain unanswered.
Watch a Video:
