Tread carefully against Chiefs – Sharks flyhalf

SHARKS flyhalf Robert du Preez has been at the heart of everything good the team have conjured against Hamilton-based Chiefs.

The reverse is also true of their failures against the other Super Rugby franchises.

With the Sharks having dropped points against the Bulls at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria at the weekend‚ they have to beat a weakened Chiefs side lacking 20 of their first-choice players.

Five of them have gone back to New Zealand to attend a national team training camp in preparation for next month’s series against France.

But the Sharks have produced a shade darker than their customary black when confronted by New Zealand opponents.

Competitive does not describe the way they blew the Highlanders and the Blues out of the water, while the Hurricanes had to dig deep to keep the Sharks at bay in Napier.

Du Preez said they had been able to raise their game for New Zealand opposition – but that was also their downfall in an inconsistent campaign.

He also said the Chiefs would be dangerous customers despite their relative weakness.

“If you tell them you’ve cracked their code‚ they’ll change their code, but we’ve had some success against the New Zealand teams. “I wouldn’t say we’ve cracked any code‚” he said. “I just think we lift ourselves. I think that’s also part of our problem this season – we haven’t quite been there mentally against the SA teams.

“It’s been easy to pick ourselves up for the New Zealand teams and I think that’s been part of the issue. We’ve done well against New Zealand teams and they’ll be prepared for that.

“A New Zealand franchise can put out a team with zero Super Rugby caps and they can still be sharp. That’s just the way they are.

“They can churn out players, so we can’t take this game lightly. We’ve got a job to do and it’s more about us.

“Whether they put out a full-strength squad or a third-string unit‚ we still have a job to do.”

Sharks hooker Mahlatse “Chiliboy” Ralepelle will not be fronting up against the same front row that squashed the Stormers, but believes the Chiefs were still a dangerous side without their All Blacks.

A Chiefs forward pack shorn of Brodie Retallick‚ Nathan Harris and Sam Cane look like an easier challenge, but the Sharks tend to lose games they have been backed to win and vice versa.

“I don’t think that will change anything at all. If there’s anything I think will change‚ they will have 10 hungrier players who’ve not had a chance at this level if they make 10 changes.

“We have to be disciplined and we can’t gift unnecessary possession. Discipline is going to be a key factor for us‚ whether we have possession or not‚” Ralepelle said. – TimesLIVE