Odwa: Sharks want to repay management
DURBAN: Sharks veteran, Odwa Ndungane, who is set to shift to fullback for this Saturday’s clash against the Lions in Johannesburg, says the Durban side simply has to go back to basics as they look to revive their Super Rugby campaign.
After last weekend’s blowout against the Crusaders, the Sharks know that the only way to silence the critics that have come out in full force this week is to produce a performance for their fans to be proud of.
“We understand the frustra- tion our supporters are feeling,” the 34-year-old commented this week.
“Before this last weekend, we’d been winning games but still not playing very well, and I think that demonstrated the character this team has. However, we understand the fans’ disappointment after that performance against the Crusaders. But we are just as disappointed, if not more. We know we need to set our campaign back on course, and we are working really hard to do just that.”
Precariously placed in seventh place on the overall log, the Sharks now need to draw together as a team and prove that they are capable of performing under pressure.
“The management has taken a lot of the pressure off the players this week,” Ndungane commented. “Of course there will always be pressure to perform, but when the coach says, ‘let me take the pressure, you have the license to go out and perform, and to do what we know you can do’, that takes a huge weight off our shoulders. This weekend we want to pay back that confidence the coach has in us.”
Last weekend, the Sharks frustratingly failed to execute the basics against the Crusaders, with the coastal side’s defence, handling and exit play leaving a lot to be desired.
Ndungane said they had taken stock of this and were more determined than ever to produce a clinical performance
“We let ourselves down in a huge way to lose so badly like that at home. We have had a look at the video and analysed where we fell short. We didn’t exit very well and the Crusaders came back and found holes in our defence, which is something we pride ourselves on, so we’re working on that. It’s a big focus of ours.”