Recovered Sharks ready for Bulls clash
EXPERIENCED Sharks scrumhalf Michael Claassens has said the side will be up for any challenge the Blue Bulls throw at them in Saturday’s Currie Cup semifinal at King’s Park.
Of the players at the Sharks‚ Claassens knows more than most about the pitfalls of being overconfident in a playoff game.
He was part of the Cheetahs’ 2005 side that ransacked what was then an impregnable Loftus Versfeld fortress‚ beating a powerful Bulls side in the final.
“I don’t think we’ll have the same problem we had last week [when Sharks lost 31-20 to Western Province],” Claassens said.
“Everyone will be ready and there are a number of youngsters who will be taking part in their first semifinal and we’re playing at home‚ which is much better.
“We’ve taken some lessons from the defeat at the weekend but we’re not looking too much into the game.
“It was a wake-up call and we’ve spoken about it.
“Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise that the wake-up call didn’t take place in the semifinal.
“We’ve been tested before and we’ll make sure we don’t get into that position again.”
The Blue Bulls will be a different proposition on Saturday even though the Sharks have seen them off twice in the round-robin stages.
Robert du Preez’s side have not had it all their own way this season with the Bulls‚ who have improved incrementally while also having the best fullback in the tournament.
Warrick Gelant has been a threat and played a role in the latter successes that have seen the Bulls move from the bottom into the semifinal positions.
The Bulls have been dealing in high scores in their last three matches and Claassens said their improvement had been noted.
“They’ve been playing well in their last few matches‚ they’ve been scoring tries and they’ve got some dangerous players out wide‚” Claassens said.
“Our defence has been our strong point for the better part of the season except for last week’s aberration.
“We just need to make sure we’re on top of our defence‚ work together as a team and make sure we neutralise those guys.”