Sharks ‘could not get going’

The Cheetahs did well to take the visitors out of their comfort zone at the weekend, Sharks captain Chiliboy Ralepelle (above) admitted after his side picked up a 33-29 Currie Cup victory in Bloemfontein.

Despite fielding a depleted side because of Pro14 duties, the Cheetahs surprised with the way they put the heat on the Durbanites, with a potential runaway result never materialising.

“They disrupted us throughout the whole game and it felt like we just couldn’t get going,” Ralepelle said.

Holding a slender 19-15 lead at half-time, the Sharks eventually scored five tries to four, with former Bulls pivot Louis Fouche scoring two of the home team’s tries.

“We always knew going to Bloemfontein was never going to be easy, especially playing against a young side – inexperienced, but who had a point to prove – and they did just that,” Ralepelle said.

The Sharks would take any points away from home, however, according to the skipper, as it was vital for their campaign.

He felt they could only get better and grow from here on.

“We’ll just have to go back and revisit this game, turn up against the Pumas without a complacent mindset and hit the ground running,” he said.

Cheetahs captain and scrumhalf Rudy Paige lauded his side’s efforts after they were handed a 32-0 whitewash defeat by Western Province the previous week.

“Obviously discipline cost us. We worked unbelievably hard but a lot of things were against us,” Paige said.