Sharks have a few things to rectify
DURBAN: It would be fair to say that the Sharks’ forwards were second best to the Bulls last Saturday, as the Pretoria outfit laid a far better platform to win the game from.
It would be equally fair to say that the last time the Sharks faced the Stormers, they were also bested in the forwards.
The Sharks last welcomed the famous blue and white hoops to Durban in 2017’s Currie Cup final, where they were sitting as firm favourites, despite a late regular season loss to Province.
They had won 10 games in a row, and won the right to host the final; they were primed for some silverware.
However, it was not to be as, despite the incredible attacking talent, the Sharks were bullied off their ball at ruck and maul time, and especially in the scrum.
Old chums Wilco Louw and Thomas du Toit butted heads, with the visitor the clear victor.
Philip van der Walt did not take part in that final, but admits it was a bitter pill to swallow, and one that is still leaving a bit of a taste in the back of their throats.
It is a new competition, a new year, but the two teams will not have forgotten the forward battle that went down.
“The only place where the Stormers’ performance in the Currie Cup final is really on the mind, is that it was such a bitter pill to swallow. It was a Currie Cup Final; they were really good at the scrum, we struggled, and we want to rectify that,” Van der Walt said ahead of their latest meeting this Saturday at 5pm.
It is more than that now though, revenge is probably long past. What will be on the Sharks’ minds, especially the forwards, is the importance of being the dominant pack this weekend, because they certainly were not against the Bulls.
“We know what is coming, especially after our poor performance against the Bulls pack. We, as forwards, know we did not match up to them, so the Stormers will also use that confidence coming here from the Currie Cup final, knowing they can come scrum us, and drive us, but we just have to front up.
“It is an attitude thing. We are working on the technical side of it, but we are grafting hard and hopefully we can apply pressure on them.”
The Sharks’ forwards have caught a lot of flak for the poor performances this season, primarily because their exciting backline is only functional on front-foot ball. So, when the forwards are struggling, the whole team falls flat.
Van der Walt says they are aware of it, especially with most of the experience being based in the pack.
The flanker has many Super Rugby caps, and Beast Mtawarira holds the record for caps in Durban, although he still needs to prove his fitness after dropping out late from the Bulls match.
“It is up to us as forwards to start the fightback,” Van der Walt said.
“It is up to us to lead – and not necessarily in what we say on the field, but really in our actions. We have to, when it really gets tough, get physical. We have to put our bodies on the line and ignite the guys around us.”
Meanwhile, in the final alignment camp for the Springboks, a total of 15 Sharks players have been invited to showcase their potential for new Bok coach, Rassie Erasmus, in Durban on 22 - 25 April.
There are six uncapped players joining the camp, including Sbu Nkosi, André Esterhuizen, Robert du Preez, Cameron Wright, Thomas du Toit and Akker van der Merwe.
A total of 22 players from the Stormers and Lions were present at the second camp, which took place two weeks ago, while 12 Bulls players attended the first camp.
“We managed to work through a lot of technical detail during our first two camps and the various sessions with the Sharks players will be equally intensive,” explained Erasmus.
“We saw during the other two camps that the players appreciate the technical discussions and the clarification of our approach for the forthcoming international season.”
No on-field activities are planned for the camps and the focus of the various sessions is exclusively on alignment, which will ensure a smooth transition from Super Rugby to the Springboks when the squad gets together for the June internationals.