Sharks need to step up without their Springboks – JP Pietersen
· Citizen
Although the Sharks are expected to welcome back two of their Springbok stars for their huge United Rugby Championship (URC) derby against the Bulls at Loftus on Saturday, coach JP Pietersen said that they needed to learn to survive without them.
The Sharks’ biggest problem over the past few years has been when their large contingent of Bok players are unavailable for selection, as their form seems to take a dive during those periods.
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That was seen over the past weekend, when their impressive three game winning run, which they enjoyed with a close to full strength team, including back-to-back wins over the in-form Stormers, came to a shuddering halt when their understrength side was comfortably beaten by the Lions.
It is quite confusing, however, as they have an incredibly talented squad that should still be able to compete at the highest level, even when their best players aren’t in the mix, and it is something that Pietersen will be eager to remedy now that he is in charge of the team.
“I think it’s the other individuals (squad players) that need to step up,” said Pietersen when asked about the team’s struggles without their Boks.
“Some of them are in a transition of learning to become leaders, which is something I think we lacked a bit (against the Lions). Not having Andre (Esterhuizen) and Siya (Kolisi) available, the team does feel it.
“But that’s part of the process to learn. They will get better. But in general, the performance was poor. We did some good stuff, but we couldn’t back it up.”
Esterhuizen and Ox
Esterhuizen, who has taken on the role of Sharks captain and been a major part of their improved play recently, and arguably the world’s best loosehead prop Ox Nche could both be parachuted straight back into the starting XV for the important Bulls clash.
“There are some guys available. Andre and Ox are available, we will see how they slot in and they will be up for selection,” said Pietersen.
The loss against the Lions has left the Sharks 10th on the URC log, one point off the Bulls in eighth, who have a game in hand on them, but also within range of Benetton and Connacht below them who are three points behind.
They were also front runners to clinch the SA Shield, but the Lions are now in range, and the Sharks need a bonus point win to secure the trophy for the second straight year, while a loss will open the door for other teams.
“Every game is important for us. When I took over we were 14th on the log, and there is still a close gap between 14 and eighth. There are a lot of teams in that group separated by one or two points. So it is a challenge,” explained Pietersen.
“Next we have the Bulls at Loftus. We’ll look at what we can do better and how we can limit our soft errors and moments in the game. The boys are hurting (after the Lions loss), you can see that in the change room, but we will definitely bounce back.”