Sharks show passion in win
The attritional nature of the Sharks’ 22-10 win over the Stormers may have an impact for the Springboks with centre Lukhanyo Am and hooker Mahlatse “Chiliboy” Ralepelle both sustaining injuries.
Am suffered an eye socket injury while a recurrence of a neck injury Ralepelle sustained in the Springbok camp reared its ugly head.
“Am took a knock on his right eye socket and I don’t know how bad his injury is‚” said Sharks coach Robert du Preez. “He’ll definitely go for a scan. As for Chiliboy‚ he sustained a neck injury at the Bok camp but he was cleared to play but he got another knock during the game but I’m sure he’ll be alright.
“The Springbok squads have already been picked but this was your typical South African derby and I think the guys really went out to play.”
As scrappy as the victory was‚ it moved the Sharks to 42 points and safety from a play-off perspective.
They showed up the Stormers for a lack of physicality and bossed them at the collisions.
Importantly and worryingly for Springbok coach Allister Coetzee was the ease in which Stephan Lewies and Ruan Botha dominated Springbok lock pairing Pieter-Steph du Toit and Eben Etzebeth. The same also applied in scrums where Coenie Oosthuizen and Thomas du Toit were more than functional in the set-piece.
It was one of those games where the Sharks finally showed their set-piece ascendancy against a side that normally dominates them.
Du Preez put this down to his team having more passion and showing more desire to win despite the unappealing nature they went about their business.
“We spoke a lot about passion and I do think the team really brought it in the game‚” he said. “I think the last five to seven minutes against the Sunwolves have turned our season around and I think the team played very well. They showed some good intent both in attack and defence. It was fantastic.
“We were a lot more clinical even though I would have liked the guys to go for poles more. I was concerned with one of the penalties they turned down to go for poles but the guys wanted to go for poles and that was great.”
Stormers coach Robbie Fleck lamented his side’s inability to rise to the occasion and how is team was outsmarted and outmuscled. He wasn’t too concerned by the malfunction in the line-out‚ citing that it was part of the general malaise that got hold of the team.
“I thought the Sharks contesting was excellent and they were very good on their own lineout‚” Fleck said. “Our lineout was poor today and that’s usually a strength of ours.
“The Stormers lineout didn’t function but it’s got nothing to do with Allister Coetzee and how it may affect him.
“It was important that we won this game. We’ve just come off a tough tour of New Zealand and a good win against the Blues.
“It had nothing to do with the log points because we haven’t qualified yet and we have three games to go. We’re not thinking about what the Bulls and the Cheetahs are doing at the moment. It’s about us improving every week and we didn’t do that in this game.”