The Cell C Sharks host coastal rivals DHL Western Province at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in an enticing Currie Cup derby clash on Sunday afternoon.
Head coach Joey Mongalo believes that the loss to Griquas must have a galvanising effect on his team looking to bounce back this weekend, and has full confidence that his team will use their disappointment as motivation against a very strong Province side.
“It was a tough week for us after that performance against Griquas because I thought we did very well in the first half of that game, so we’re obviously disappointed with how we dealt with it after half time,” he explains.
With the challenges involved in competing in three simultaneous tournaments, there are going to be times when team selection follows the needs of the franchise and there will always be the goal of integration and cohesion.
“But weeks of adversity also have a way of bringing groups together, we don’t want adversity to divide us, but to bring us closer together and there are definitely guys in the group, especially those who played in the Griquas game, will want to set the record straight.”
Province have had a good start to their campaign and Mongalo has no illusions as to the stern test his team faces.
“We as a group realise the magnitude of the game, this Province team won away at the Lions and also beat the Bulls URC team, so they’re a side with a lot of confidence.
“But we’re looking forward to the challenge, for us it’s round three of this heavyweight boxing clash, and we’re a team that’s building, we believe that the longer we are together, the better we will play for extended periods of time. At the moment we’re playing well in short bursts and we want that connection and cohesion to last longer in games.”
Sunday’s clash at Hollywoodbets Kings Park kicks off at 2pm.
Cell C Sharks
1. Khwezi Mona
2. Fez Mbatha
3. Khutha Mchunu
4. Corne Rahl
5. Reniel Hugo
6. James Venter
7. Thembelani Bholi
8. Henco Venter
9. Bradley Davids
10. Fred Zeilinga
11. Marnus Potgieter
12. Francois Venter
13. Murray Koster
14. Phikolomzi Sobahle
15. Yaw Penxe
Replacements
16. Jason Alexander
17. Dian Bleuler
18. Marco Pelvie
19. Hyron Andrews
20. Dylan Richardson
21. Tiaan Fourie
22. Lionel Cronje
23. Alwayno Visagie
The post Motivation and Cohesion appeared first on The Sharks.
The Cell C Sharks’ Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash with the Scarlets in Wales this weekend is an opportune time to really stake a claim in the quest for a good finish to the pool stages.
The Cell C Sharks Werner Kok admitted from the team’s base in Wales that with a Springbok laden team available this weekend, the vibe and motivation is high.
“It’s always a big lift to have them back, they bring a different intensity at training, a different quality of precision and that helps a lot, it boosts everyone in the team.
“Even the vibe and excitement in training last week, and then going into this weekend has been amazing. The confidence they instil in the rest of the team makes a huge impact.”
Given the depth in the side, there are times when the Boks are unavailable and then the wider squad comes into play. This has been a feature this season in particular, given just how many Springboks the Cell C Sharks have in their ranks.
“While we do have a lot of international players, it’s what happens on the field and how training has gone, because it doesn’t make any difference the team you have on paper, if the players don’t gel on the field, then things don’t work.
“But we’ve had great training sessions and we’ve had a good week ahead of the game, now it’s a case of performing and getting those points.”
Coming off the back of a short bye, Kok admitted that the team has enjoyed the rest, “It’s been good for the bodies, we’re approaching the business end of the URC and the Heineken Champions Cup and it’s been a long season and every is now feeling rested and it’s now to make the step up and go for gold.”
With the final jostling for positions in the top eight, he explained they will be aiming for a full house of points.
“This is a very important weekend for us and we’re aiming for a five-pointer, we must get a bonus point win. We know we need 15 points out of the final three games if we want a home semi, so this is a big game for us and possibly our most important as we head towards the play-offs.
“We are seventh on the log and with two other South African teams in the top eight, we can’t finish any lower than seventh of we want to make the play-offs.”
While Scarlets haven’t done as well as they would like this season, he admitted that they would not be taking anything or anyone for granted in this game.
“You can never underestimate any team, and although they haven’t achieved what other Welsh teams have, we know that their players are very physical, they can play proper rugby and Scarlets will be getting a few of their internationals back, so it’s going to be a big test for us.
“We know we need to be on top of our game from minute one to minute 80 or 85, or whenever the game ends.”
The post Time to Stand Up appeared first on The Sharks.
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Quick Durban KwaZulu-Natal Fact: Game-viewing – Northern KwaZulu-Natal offers some of the finest game-viewing, bird-watching and nature experiences in South Africa. It is home to Africa’s oldest game reserve, Hluhulwe-Umfolozi, and iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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