Sharks coach lauds gutsy win

FANS WILL BE PROUD OF THE BOYS TONIGHT Franchise have the Bulls and Lions still to play at home.

Sharks coach Robert du Preez said the team know their fans will be proud of them after their bruising 22-10 win over the Stormers in their Super Rugby derby at King’s Park in Durban at the weekend.

“The squad really brought it tonight, that was good, and on both attack and defence the intent shown was fantastic. It was really important because we owe it to our fans here at home and they will be proud of the boys tonight,” Du Preez said after the hardfought but certainly deserved triumph.

A “beautiful” try by Sharks winger Sibusiso Nkosi sealed the win for the home side.

As a match that had included three unspectacular tries passed the hour at a wet King’s Park stadium, the home side won a lineout and Nkosi burst between two Stormers to race clear and score between the posts.

Flyhalf Garth April converted to close the scoring in a showdown between likely quarterfinalists that never scaled dizzy heights.

“It was a beautiful feeling to score that try in front of the home crowd in my first South African derby,” said Man-of-the-Match Nkosi.

Du Preez said that his team had showed tremendous passion and that the victory was a crucial one heading into the June international break, and then two more games for the Sharks before the play-offs.

“That was a typical SA derby and the guys really went out to play, we had something to prove. We still played a bit too much rugby in our own half, especially in the first half, and we need to be more accurate with our exits.

“But we must make sure we keep that momentum and build on it in our last two games, at home to the Bulls and Lions. We could not have asked for a better result, especially before the break, after playing 13 matches in a row,” Du Preez said.

Additional reporting by AFP