‘We must keep our heads’

Scrumhalf Michael Claassens (above) lit up the Sharks backline with his excellent distribution in the latter stages of their epic encounter against the Lions last weekend and he said yesterday they want to keep playing a multifaceted style when they meet the Jaguares in another potential Super Rugby thriller in Durban on Saturday.

“We’ve got a new culture and values from Gary Teichmann (CEO) and Robert du Preez (coach) and we also met with guys from the 1990s who were very successful with the Sharks. Everyone has a lot of respect for the coach and we believe in his plan. We want to play a style of rugby that people like, we don’t want to just kick everything.

“Guys like Curwin Bosch and Jeremy Ward are showing that if you’re good enough, you’re old enough, and they will be so experienced by the time they’re 25 or 26. Lukhanyo Am is also having a great season, last year’s Currie Cup was his big break, and he’s been so solid in Super Rugby. He always brings offloads or steps and he complements Andre Esterhuizen very well. And it’s good to have the experience among these players that Andre and myself bring,” Claassens said.

The halfback said the Jaguares are difficult opposition to play against, partly because of their fiery temperament, which translated into a wretched disciplinary record in last year’s competition.

“They’re a very tough side to play against, they can be very temperamental and emotional, they’re very competitive and good footballers too. They’re always very physical, but they’re a bit more clever this year, they’re more conservative in their own half and will kick into yours. But they never lose their aggression.

“They’re a difficult team, so our discipline will have to be very good after we gave away a few more penalties than usual last weekend. We have to keep our heads and not get involved in any scraps off the ball. But we’ll definitely be up for this game, our last one before a bye, and it’s very important because the Jaguares are in the same conference as us,” Claassens said.

Everyone has a lot of respect for the coach and we believe in his plan.

Michael Claassens Sharks scrumhalf