Sharks’ inconsistency throughout the season came back to haunt them

AFTER A season of inconsistency, it is a good idea to go back through the 17 games the Sharks played and pick out what made them shine, and what needs to change.

There were certain games which made the rugby world sit up and notice, but then there were the games which made those in Durban want to bury their heads in the sand.

The Highlights Breaking the New Zealand hoodoo

They managed to beat three out of the five teams, and it is almost painful to call the Hurricanes result a loss.

In comparison, the Lions did not manage a single win, not even at home to the Blues. The Jaguares were probably the next best side as they beat the Chiefs and Blues away from home.

But the Sharks were free in their attack in Auckland, as they scored 60-odd points, then steely in their defeat in Napier. They then came back to Kings Park and dispatched the Chiefs and Highlanders.

Building Boks

In Rassie Erasmus’ first squad, the Sharks took pride of place.

The likes of Curwin Bosch and Andre Esterhuizen are SA Under-20 stars who fit the Sharks mould whereas Lukhanyo Am has been walked through his growth at the Sharks, who saw it right to blood him on loan to the Kings.

The Lowlights Land down under

If the Sharks were good in New Zealand they were woeful in Australia. The games against the Brumbies and the Rebels were not only bad results, they were cagey and disjointed performances.

What made it even more displeasing was the way in which the Sharks drew to the Waratahs two weeks before going on tour. They held the game in the palm of their hands only to let the Sydney side back in to snatch victory away from them, leaving it as a sour-tasting draw.

Unfulfilled potential

The talent on paper never came to fruition in terms of a team effort as the Sharks were forced to settle for the exact same script for the third year running; eighth spot, and the quarters against the top side before bowing out.