The Cell C Sharks team have returned to Durban on a high following their Vodacom Super Rugby win against the Reds in Brisbane on Saturday in the final tour match of a hugely successful four weeks on the road.
Three wins from four matches in New Zealand and Australia means half of our away matches of the tournament have been completed – successfully so – with seven still to play at Jonsson Kings Park.
Currently, the Cell C Sharks have the second highest number of log points and sit pretty in fourth place with 16 points, one behind log leaders the DHL Stormers. This young team have show maturity beyond their years and a fighting spirit that cannot be dampened.
Following the win against the Reds, Cell C Sharks coach Sean Everitt admitted that, “ I was proud of how the guys came back in the second half, at half-time we spoke about what an arm wrestle it had been and we were fortunate still to be in the game after having given away nine penalties in the first half which didn’t help matters. But we’re very happy with the outcome.
“I thought the first half was quite scrappy – from both teams – but we pulled it together in the second half and I thought we got the better of it.
“I thought we were quite fortunate to turn 11-8 at half-time, it could have been way worse than that, but luck was on our side. The Reds didn’t score just before half-time which I thought quite significant in the game.
Lineouts, something that has been a real strength for the Reds this season, seemed to fall prey to the poaching from the Cell C Sharks who appeared to have gained great rewards for the hard work in preparation, although Everitt still considers the set-piece a work in progress.
“The lineouts weren’t easy because we lost the second one just after we had scored the maul try, but we adjusted our calls after half-time and it got better.”
Outside of lineout time, Everitt paid tribute to the team’s character and effectiveness on defence. The Reds spent long periods on attack, often close to our line and were repelled time and again.
“From a defence point of view, I thought our maul defence was really good,” Everitt admitted. “We managed to stop their mauls on a number of occasions and that probably won us the game at the end of the day.
“That was big heart shown from the forward pack.”
Everitt also had words of encouragement for the replacements who came on later in the game.
“Credit must go to the bench that came on in the second half. We started to get ascendancy in the scrums and mauls.”
The final week’s preparations were spent on the Gold Coast and it is clear that getting out of the city centre was a good plan for the team who were coming to the end of a long time away from home.
“This was the ideal place for our final preparations. When it gets to week four of tour, it can become a bit tedious. We had spent a week each in Melbourne, Wellington and Auckland so it was nice to get a break to a place close to home as far as the similarity to the conditions in Durban. We had a refreshing week on the Gold Coast with training facilities close to the hotel. In Melbourne we were on a bus for an hour to an hour and a half to the training ground.
“But it was a challenge for us to keep the guys off the streets in Brisbane, it’s a beautiful city, amazing and we enjoyed our stay.”
Captain Lukhanyo Am also had praise for the forwards for the effort they put into everything they did.
“It was a great win, a great effort from the boys and credit to the forwards for giving us the front foot ball that we were looking for,” he said after the game.
“Now we’re looking forward to playing at The Tank, the Jaguares will be tough but we’ll go back home, prepare as well as possible to be sharp on Saturday.”
The post Returning on a High appeared first on The Sharks.
Fill in the form below to have your blog featured on MyDurban – we will post a snippet and title link to your new blog posts.
Submit and get free press releases here: MyPR Free Press Release | Meet the Durban Bloggers.
