Sharks want to finish off more opportunities
IN this short sprint of a tournament, the Sharks are looking to shift into the next gear when they face the Free State Cheetahs in Bloemfontein tomorrow. They got their engine running against the Blue Bulls, and despite the talk of facing a Cheetahs B team, the Durban outfit are focusing inwards.
No doubt the Cheetahs will not be fielding the best that the Free State has to offer tomorrow, but in the modern professional game, the standard of opposition does not weigh heavily on the minds any more. It is much more an inward focus and an attempt to hit all the markers and performance benchmarks in any game.
For the Sharks, this encounter will be about building upon a performance at Kings Park last week that got the job done, but was lacking in a few places. The Sharks have been plagued with an inability to convert enough of their try-scoring opportunities, and tomorrow’s game will be a good one to get that right.
“For us it is going to be important that we keep the momentum going for that win last weekend,” coach Robert du Preez said. “We are still going to take it one game at a time and with this game against the Cheetahs we want to make sure that we execute our opportunities that are out there, and really be accurate in our attack.”
While the Sharks want to make sure they finish off more opportunities, and tighten up that weakness, they also want to push the envelope further with what they did well against the Bulls.
“Things that really stood out for us in the Bulls game was our transition in defence, the work ethic and work rate was outstanding so we want to build on that momentum,” Du Preez added.
What will be helping the Sharks in picking up more momentum will be the fact that Du Preez has selected the same starting line up with the only change in the matchday squad coming on the bench where Tera Mtembu misses out due to a knee injury.
While selecting the same team week in and week out is a bonus, and a luxury, it is also a headache for the coach who has players as young as 18 knocking on the door.
“It is a big challenge for us that we have so many guys that are in the bigger squad that are chomping to play – guys like Leolin Zas and Rhyno Smith, just to mention a few names, and there are some youngsters that could potentially come into the reckoning, even in the Under-19s who have had a great season. Those guys are really exciting youngsters that could easily fit in our setup and I’d have no hesitation selecting those guys if the opportunity presents itself.” AHEAD of their Currie Cup-opener against the Free State Cheetahs last week, Western Province coach John Dobson said that he really hopes that this year will be the unveiling of “Trokkie”, as No 8 Juarno Augustus is fondly known.
Augustus has dealt with a number of injuries in his young career, so it’s easy to see why Dobson is hoping that the powerful prospect manages to sidestep injury in order to move up the ranks.
To put it in perspective, Augustus spent the whole season on the sidelines and made his first Super Rugby appearance of 2018 for the Stormers against the Sharks at Newlands last month. But now he’s fit and ready, and it’ll be a treat to see how he goes against the Pumas at the often-tough Mbombela Stadium tonight (7pm kickoff ).
Augustus announced his presence in a huge way when he produced a monster tournament-performance during last year’s World Rugby Under-20 Championship – where he was named Player of the Tournament and scored no fewer than seven tries in five games.
The ability to visit the tryline often, as a forward, is probably one of the lesser-common occurrences in rugby. Add in there the ability to score stunningly unexpected ones, and it becomes even more special.
And that is something Augustus can do effortlessly. And unexpectedly.
But in addition to his awareness and game-reading ability that helps him be in the right place when there’s an opportunity to dot down, his work at the breakdown and his physicality in the carry also stood out. Those are traits that will never not be wanted, and tonight in Nelspruit he will have another chance to continue to announce his presence in senior rugby.
“If you’re looking at a Duane Vermeulen and what Augustus brings, they’re similar if you had to look at youngsters coming through,” Dobson said.
“He’s got the world at his feet. I think he’s got a massive future... he’s special.”
Augustus showed a glimpse of his ability to sniff out the whitewash when he scored a superb try after going up the blindside against the Cheetahs. And last week, before they faced the men from Bloemfontein, Dobson said: “If you looked at Billy Vunipola’s GPS stats they would be appalling.”
“Trokkie wouldn’t be like that, but he still has the same impact in a ball-carrying way as Billy. He is a big-carrier and hitter. We have been working on his lineout skills because when he was at U20 he wasn’t really a lineout forward, but he is improving there, which is really exciting for his future.”