The Cell C Sharks showed that when they are on song, they have the capability of putting on sublime performances evidenced in the Vodacom Super Rugby victory over the Highlanders at JONSSON KINGS PARK on Saturday.
Head coach Robert du Preez was pleased with how the team reacted to the challenge posed to them ahead of this game.
“We spoke a lot last Monday about taking ownership and taking our game to the next level after the DHL Stormers game and I’d venture to say that this was the finest Sharks performance, certainly that I’ve seen, in a number of years.”
It all started with a bang and rarely lost intensity as we scored five wonderful tries enroute to an emphatic victory.
“We had a sensational start to the game, 14 points in the opening 10 minutes set the tone for the rest of the match,” said du Preez.
“The conditions are getting better but the ball was slippery, the Highlanders probably did struggle a bit there. So to score five tries, that was impressive.
“When this team is patient, they do great things. There were a couple of times where we threw 50-50 passes and should have shown more patience, but that will come. The defensive pressure we put on them was awesome and we had seen some space to exploit, so those little kicks over the top worked well, they were well-executed.”
After the win over the DHL Stormers, one that was ground out in a tight clash, this victory over the Highlanders was definitely the step up the team had spoken about, but the coach admitted that he has even higher expectations from his charges.
“I think this team has a lot more to offer. We left a few tries out there, maybe three or four more,” although du Preez did admit that he was proud of the team effort, adding, “but what a fantastic performance by each and every one of them.
“From 1-23, I can’t find fault, and when the bench players came on, they did unbelievably well. There were some fantastic individual performances.” One of those was Vodacom Man of the Match Andre Esterhuizen.
“He’s been playing great rugby all year,” said du Preez. “I’m sure the Springbok coach will be very happy with his performance against the Highlanders. He was outstanding.”
The Cell C Sharks have now performed most admirably against all three New Zealand opponents they have played, although the coach felt there was no reason to generalise about the Kiwi opposition bringing out the best in his team.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily the New Zealand teams, I think the boys just really clicked in this game.”
The five log points taken from the game helped the Cell C Sharks in a tight South African Conference, helping us into a top eight position on the overall log.
“The bonus point is a big bonus,” said the coach. “We would have been happy to win, but the extra log point helps. We just need to keep working hard, keep improving.”
It was an outstanding performance after the bye, the break clearly proving hugely beneficial.
“This is a tough competition and we had something like eight games in a row and four on tour, so the break came at the right time and was great for the boys,” the coach explained.
“They came back really energised and I have to commend them on the individual work they put in. We had a Springbok alignment camp and that would have helped too.”
Du Preez confirmed that Philip van der Walt took a knock to his jaw and nose and will be assessed, “But looks ok.”
The post Getting it right appeared first on Sharks Rugby.
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