Though they are assured of a home Currie Cup semifinal, the Sharks won’t be taking their foot off the accelerator when they face a desperate Western Province outfit in Durban on Saturday, coach Sean Everitt says.
Second on the log and four points behind the Blue Bulls, the Sharks roared into the semis with a 56-14 win over the struggling Lions.
“Because we’re a performance-driven team, we want to put in good performances week in and week out,” Everitt said.
“We want to start settling on combinations that will take us forward ahead of the semis and final after rotating players during the course of the competition.
“I was a bit disappointed in our scrum, particularly in the first half when we gave away four penalties, which wasn’t ideal against the Lions.
“But credit must go to the Lions, they have a formidable front row, definitely the strongest pack in the competition when it comes to scrumming and we felt the brunt of that.
“But the scrums did get better towards the end of the game.
“I thought our defensive effort was superb.
“We’ve been working hard on our defence and John McFarland must take a lot of credit for that.
“We’ve been found wanting at times, but we’re starting to get confidence out of what we’re doing at training and what John has brought in as the new defensive coach.
“We managed to get a lot of reward, a lot of turnovers at the breakdown, so I’m very pleased with how we defended, especially at maul time.”
Everitt praised Thaakir Abrahams who scored a hat-trick of tries against the Lions.
“I’ve coached Thaakir for a number of years and he has such potential and in this Currie Cup he’s just grown and grown with the game time he’s received.
“We are pleased whenever he goes over.
“He’s a wonderful boy and he deserves everything he gets on the field.
“It can be difficult for players who aren’t big in stature to make their mark at the top level, but he certainly has.
“In saying that, I thought the two scrumhalves were also very good in their performances and there were some standout performances from certain individuals.
“But for us, it’s about moving forward as a team.
“We’ll enjoy this win, but we’ll get back to the drawing board and work really hard because we know the Currie Cup is coming to an end and we have a massive challenge coming up after that.”
After the penultimate round of action, the Bulls still top the log on 44 points, followed by the Sharks on 40, Griquas (33), the Pumas (32), Western Province (30), Cheetahs (26) and Lions (24).
The Lions have already played their last match of the season.
While the Bulls and Sharks have secured home semifinals, the Cheetahs and Lions have dropped out of the playoff race.
The final spots in the top four can go to any two of the other three teams though, after the Griquas and the Pumas recorded victories to ensure they remain in the hunt.
After the penultimate round of action, the Bulls top the log on 44 points, followed by the Sharks on 40, Griquas (33), the Pumas (32), Western Province (30), Cheetahs (26) and Lions (24).
The Lions have already played their last match of the season.
The Pumas strengthened their Currie Cup playoff thanks to a 28-19 win over the Cheetahs in Mbombela (Nelspruit) on Saturday.
Saturday’s fixtures:
2.30pm: Griquas v Pumas; 4.50pm: Bulls v Cheetahs; 7pm: Sharks v Western Province.
HeraldLIVE
Hungry Sharks will keep foot on pedal, says Everitt
‘Performance-driven’ team second on log and assured of semifinal spot
Rugby writer
Image: GALLO IMAGES/LEE WARREN
Though they are assured of a home Currie Cup semifinal, the Sharks won’t be taking their foot off the accelerator when they face a desperate Western Province outfit in Durban on Saturday, coach Sean Everitt says.
Second on the log and four points behind the Blue Bulls, the Sharks roared into the semis with a 56-14 win over the struggling Lions.
“Because we’re a performance-driven team, we want to put in good performances week in and week out,” Everitt said.
“We want to start settling on combinations that will take us forward ahead of the semis and final after rotating players during the course of the competition.
“I was a bit disappointed in our scrum, particularly in the first half when we gave away four penalties, which wasn’t ideal against the Lions.
“But credit must go to the Lions, they have a formidable front row, definitely the strongest pack in the competition when it comes to scrumming and we felt the brunt of that.
“But the scrums did get better towards the end of the game.
“I thought our defensive effort was superb.
“We’ve been working hard on our defence and John McFarland must take a lot of credit for that.
“We’ve been found wanting at times, but we’re starting to get confidence out of what we’re doing at training and what John has brought in as the new defensive coach.
“We managed to get a lot of reward, a lot of turnovers at the breakdown, so I’m very pleased with how we defended, especially at maul time.”
Everitt praised Thaakir Abrahams who scored a hat-trick of tries against the Lions.
“I’ve coached Thaakir for a number of years and he has such potential and in this Currie Cup he’s just grown and grown with the game time he’s received.
“We are pleased whenever he goes over.
“He’s a wonderful boy and he deserves everything he gets on the field.
“It can be difficult for players who aren’t big in stature to make their mark at the top level, but he certainly has.
“In saying that, I thought the two scrumhalves were also very good in their performances and there were some standout performances from certain individuals.
“But for us, it’s about moving forward as a team.
“We’ll enjoy this win, but we’ll get back to the drawing board and work really hard because we know the Currie Cup is coming to an end and we have a massive challenge coming up after that.”
After the penultimate round of action, the Bulls still top the log on 44 points, followed by the Sharks on 40, Griquas (33), the Pumas (32), Western Province (30), Cheetahs (26) and Lions (24).
The Lions have already played their last match of the season.
While the Bulls and Sharks have secured home semifinals, the Cheetahs and Lions have dropped out of the playoff race.
The final spots in the top four can go to any two of the other three teams though, after the Griquas and the Pumas recorded victories to ensure they remain in the hunt.
After the penultimate round of action, the Bulls top the log on 44 points, followed by the Sharks on 40, Griquas (33), the Pumas (32), Western Province (30), Cheetahs (26) and Lions (24).
The Lions have already played their last match of the season.
The Pumas strengthened their Currie Cup playoff thanks to a 28-19 win over the Cheetahs in Mbombela (Nelspruit) on Saturday.
Saturday’s fixtures:
2.30pm: Griquas v Pumas; 4.50pm: Bulls v Cheetahs; 7pm: Sharks v Western Province.
HeraldLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Latest Videos
Most Read
Rugby
Soccer
Sport
Pages
Cricket