Daniel warns Sharks to stick to the basics

Keegan Daniel (right) has seen it all before and the Sharks veteran has some simple advice for his younger team-mates as they approach their Currie Cup semifinal against the Blue Bulls at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday: stick to the basics.

Loose forward Daniel captained the Sharks to their last Currie Cup triumph in 2013, when their form was not quite as compelling as this year, the team coached by Brenden Venter, Brad Macleod-Henderson and Sean Everitt winning nine of their 12 matches, but doing enough to also host a semifinal.

Pat Lambie steered them to victory against the Free State Cheetahs and then, with a host of Bok forwards returning, it all clicked in the final as they beat Western Province 33-19 at Newlands. But there are many who feel that it might just be the Bulls who are clicking at the right time this year, and Daniel said it was crucial the Sharks remained focused on the basics to avoid any upsets.

“The loss last weekend has served as a good wake-up call and finals rugby is all about doing the basics well, it’s about grabbing your opportunities, not the fancy stuff. The margins are so small and the opportunities so few, so the team that implements their game-plan best and plays in the right areas will win,” Daniel, who has also played five Tests for the Springboks, said.

The 32-year-old Daniel, who has played more than 270 games in the black-and-white jersey, added that no team can win a Currie Cup knockout game without forward dominance, an area in which the Sharks are generally acknowledged to have the edge over a youthful Bulls pack.

“There’s no way you ever underestimate a Bulls pack, but without a dominant forward pack you can’t do much. Our forwards are building nicely, we’ve had some really dominant performances and if our set-piece is dominant then we can put them under pressure and make it a tough day for their back three.

“There’s no doubt that the Bulls are in a great place at the moment, they’re building confidence with the way they’ve played over the last couple of weeks, but we back our game, we want to build pressure, dominate territory and back our defence against them.”