Ward wary of ‘boosted’ Lions

Ken Borland

Sharks centre Jeremy Ward (above) says the team will focus on their own hunger in Saturday’s semifinal at King’s Park and not on the boost given to the Golden Lions by the return to the fold of several Springbok stars.

The return last weekend of flyhalf Elton Jantjies and centre Lionel Mapoe certainly gave a more polished look to the Lions and former Springbok captain Warren Whiteley and new wing sensation Aphiwe Dyantyi could be added to the mix. Their presence will turn the Lions into an entirely different proposition to the side the Sharks beat 37-21 in Durban just less than a month ago.

“They will provide a different challenge and we will have to look out for them. Our defence will be really important because those couple of guys coming back means they will pose a lot of different challenges. So we’ve worked hard on our structure and trusting the guys on your inside and outside.

“But our energy and our focus is really on what we can achieve and we’re playing with confidence. We want to express ourselves as a backline and we had a new dimension of our own last week with Robert du Preez shifting to 12 and Curwin Bosch at flyhalf. We’ve spoken a lot about consistency and to get two home semifinals in a row is really good, but now it’s about taking the next step,” Ward said yesterday.

Ward said the Sharks are also remembering last year’s 37-27 semifinal win over the Blue Bulls in Durban and the importance of playing knockout rugby and using home advantage. Bosch kicked four conversions, two penalties and a drop goal.

“We are hungry and we’ve worked very hard, so we want to channel that hunger,” Ward said.