Sharks veteran Daniel hopes to inspire young team to Cup success

DURBAN: There are not many current Sharks players who have experienced winning a trophy, never mind the Currie Cup, but there is a font of wisdom available to the youngsters in the form of the last Sharks captain to hold it aloft , Keegan Daniel.

The 32-year-old captained the Sharks to a shock title win at Newlands against an unbeaten Western Province team in 2013, but the Sharks have been conspicuous by their absence from the final since then.

This week the Sharks host a semi-final against the Bulls and the likes of Daniel and the vastly experienced Michael Claassens and Odwa Ndungane have important roles to play in guiding the relatively young side through the high-pressure world of do-or-die rugby.

“You don’t come up with fancy plans at this stage of the season, you make sure you do the basics really, really well and understand scoring opportunities have to be clinically taken,” Daniel said.

“We are fortunate we have a good game plan that has worked for us for all season and that gives us belief. It is about sticking to that plan and focusing on the basics,” he said.

That means the Sharks will not go into their shells and will attack when opportunities arise, as will the Bulls, who have been a revelation of late with their positive play.

“The Bulls have grown immensely, they are not playing old traditional Bulls rugby,” Daniel said. “Their backs and forwards are combining really well and they have some serious dangermen. The talk of the town is (fullback) Warrick Gelant but he is not alone.

“The way the Bulls are playing is good for South African rugby. They are in a good place and will throw everything at us, and they will ask questions of us when they attack.

“Our defence will be tested on Saturday but it has been a key area for us all season and we take confidence from that,” Daniel said. “We have to believe and trust in our defensive system. It has worked very well so far.“The youngsters are excited more than anything else at this stage,” Daniel said. “They know there is a huge amount riding on this game as is the case in any play-off. We will remind them to play as they have been doing all year. Composure and patience is vital in play-off rugby.”

Daniel says he would love little more than for the young talent in the squad to experience the joys of going all the way to the final and beyond.

“It is a special feeling to win a Currie Cup, and those of us who have done it have shared what it means to us with the others. We have spoken about it around the campfires and I hope our love for the Cup has rubbed off on the youngsters,” Daniel smiled.

“It is important for our young group to experience that feeling of accomplishment. It will breed confidence.

“It will do this Union so much good if we can get to the final. It has been a while and we understand that fans are demanding.

“We desperately want win for them on Saturday.” to