Venter: Bulls a wake-up call
Sharks bolstered with loan signings of Southern Kings stars Penxe, Bholi
FROM a psychological point of view, being outplayed by the Bulls in Superfan Saturday was just what the doctor ordered for the Sharks ahead of Super Rugby Unlocked.
Flanker James Venter, who missed that match because of a concussion sustained in training, but is now raring to go, says that being comprehensively outplayed in the first half had brought the squad down to earth and they fully understand that their table-topping ways of six months ago are history.
“Hundred percent we learnt a lot from that game,” Venter said. “Sometimes you have done all your planning for the game, and you think you are on top of it, but then you get a punch in the face and that gives you a reality check.”
The 24-year-old said the Sharks were reminded that “rugby is an 80-minute game” after having gone down 35-0 before they started playing anything like the team that topped Super Rugby in March.
“We thrive on intensity, and we didn’t have it for half an hour of that game. Later in the match, we got more into the mix and started asking questions of their defence, but at this level you have to start well, too,” Venter explained. “I think the need to hit the ground running is one of the biggest lessons from Loftus because it’s hard to catch up from a slow beginning.”
Having said that, Venter said the Sharks were hardly demoralised by the defeat as they had always had one eye on this Lions game on Friday night at Jonsson Kings Park. Superfan Saturday was part of the team’s preparations for the Lions and was not the be-all and end-all for the Durban team.
And the Bulls, of course, were anxious to make a statement under their new coach, Jake White.
“The Bulls was a warm-up game, we had been prepping for the Lions for a while, and we learnt a lot and are very excited about bouncing back.”
Opensider Venter says he and his fellow forwards have a big job to do in stopping the Lions’ momentum, and thus stopping their playmaker, Elton Jantjies, from getting into his stride.
“They are a ‘momentum’ side, they love playing running rugby once they are on the front foot and Elton, as their captain and also the flyhalf, is instrumental in them getting that right,” said Venter, who spent a few seasons with the Lions after finishing school at Durban’s Glenwood High, before this year returning to his roots.
“To beat the Lions you need to find various areas in the game to dominate them and frustrate them from getting going. You need to make it hard for them to play their natural game.”
■ Southern Kings stars Yaw Penxe and Thembelani Bholi have joined the Sharks on short-term loans. Wing/fullback Penxe, 23, and blindside flank/lock Bholi, 29, joined the Sharks yesterday from the disbanded Port Elizabeth franchise and will provide quality depth in their positions. Penxe, a lively runner, was one of the revelations of the recent Springbok Showdown in Cape Town.