Sharks circling for Lions
Sharks look to sharpen skills in effort to bounce back in Round Two
CAPTAINBismarck du Plessis is set to return to lead the Sharks against the Lions at King’s Park this Saturday, with just one injury-enforced change likely to be made to the starting line-up that was originally selected for last weekend’s Super Rugby season-opener.
Du Plessis has overcome a shoulder niggle that forced him out of last Saturday’s encounter, and he will take over at hooker from Kyle Cooper, while Dale Chadwick should come in at loosehead prop for the injured “Beast” Mtawarira.
Besides those couple of changes up front, the backline is expected to remain unchanged, and it will represent another opportunity for the Sharks’ new-look midfield pairing of Heimar Williams and Waylon Murray.
“We certainly back the squad we have and we’re happy with what Heimar and Waylon can offer,” Sharks backline coach Sean Everitt commented.
“It’s not easy to come into Super Rugby with a new centre combination, but I thought they acquitted themselves well last Saturday, on both attack and defence.”
This week, the Sharks have focused on the need to be more accurate when exiting their 22, and Everitt said he was confident there would be a significant improvement this weekend.
“We’ve worked hard on our skills, there were still positives on attack from last weekend.
“The ball is slippery at this time of year in Durban, so we have to be more accurate in how we go about things, and we don’t want to play too much rugby in the wrong areas of the field.”
Similarly to the Sharks, the Lions suffered a defeat last weekend despite attempting to embrace a positive, attacking style of play in which they enjoyed the lion’s share of possession and territory.
Nevertheless, Lions assistant coach Swys de Bruin insisted they wouldn’t be discouraged.
“That is the style of play we’ve installed over the last two and a half years, it’s what we know and enjoy. So we’ll stick to what we do, but it’s just about doing it better this weekend.
“Against the Hurricanes, we won all the stats, from line-breaks to running metres. So we just need to finish better, concentrate and have patience.”
Besides a stint in Kimberley as Griquas head coach from 1999 to 2003, De Bruin spent more than a decade at the Sharks, where he was involved in various coaching roles before heading to the Lions at the end of 2012.
“I spent many years down at the Sharks, and so I know just how determined they will be to rebound from their loss this past weekend,” he commented. “I know they would have been hurting after that loss and will come out firing like never before. That’s similar to us, but they will be at home, which does bring some added pressure.”
The Lions managed to come through last Saturday’s match without any major injury worries, and are expected to predominantly stick with the side that did duty against the Hurricanes.
“We’re just going to focus on what we do well, and our processes,” De Bruin commented.
“We’re not going to worry about that first-round loss. We came 12th in Super Rugby last year, and we have identified the games we feel we should win.
“It’s a long season, and if we stick to our processes, I’m confident the wins will come in time.
“Super Rugby is fiercely intense and competitive,” he added. “It’s high-paced and you have to use your chances. If you don’t, teams will hurt you.
“But we believe in our style of rugby, and when it works, it really works well, so fans can expect the same.”