Sharks won’t go into their shell

THE Sharks will endeavour to pick up where they left off against the Bulls in their last Preparation Series match rather than go into their shells against the Stormers in Friday evening’s Rainbow Cup opener.

The rugby played by all of the teams in the recently ended Prep Series was a breath of fresh air after the Currie Cup dished up too much conservative rugby, much of it based on the relentless kick-and-chase tactic, and there is a concern that some teams will revert to that in the Rainbow Cup where the results matter in terms of log points.

“I think teams will stick to what has worked for them,” Sharks coach Sean Everitt said.

“For us, it is about sticking to our game model and ours allows us to play what is front of us as well as kick when we feel it will give us better return. It is about getting the blend right.

“When we beat the Bulls 45-12, and got a lot of praise for our attacking rugby, we in fact kicked the ball 27 times but our kicks were spot on,” Everitt explained.

“It is about getting the balance right and in the Currie Cup we didn’t always get it right.

“Having said that, in the semifinal (against Western Province) and the final against the Bulls, we opted for a kick-based strategy because we felt that was the best way of getting the result, and we came within a whisker of winning the Currie Cup.”

For the Stormers game, Everitt will pick a side similar to the one that contested that final, but he has pointed out that the Preparation Series has turned up the heat on the regular starters.

“Everybody in our greater squad got game time and it was rewarding to see some serious talent coming through,” Everitt said.

“As a coach, you want healthy pressure, you want the guys to be pushing each other for the starting spots. Also, when you know that your back-up players are up to the task, it enables you to rotate with confidence.”

Young centres Rynhardt Jonker and Murray Koster put their hands up, and at scrumhalf, Junior Bok Jaden Hendrikse and Grant Williams made the most of their opportunities to serious challenge incumbent Sanele Nohamba.