Heartbreak but hope for gutsy Sharks
DURING this Super Rugby campaign, Sharks coach Robert du Preez went slightly off script by saying that winning is all that matters, regardless ofhow it is done, and what the performance looks like.
It will be interesting if he still feels that way after a heartbreaking 38-37 loss to the Hurricanes in Napier yesterday.
There is no doubting that the Sharks have turned a corner since they hit New Zealand’s shores. They said it loudly that they were inches away from clicking, and against the Blues and the Hurricanes, they certainly clicked.
The Sharks were by far the better team in Napier on the night.
They dominated most facets o f play and played a brand of rugby which has been in the works forsome time now, and is clearly quite effective.
Hard and direct when it counted, and silky and skilful when needed, the Sharks first battered the Hurricanes up front before playing into them outside.
Excellent kick-offs, an unerring Robert du Preez Jr boot, and the physicality of André Esterhuizen, Thomas duToit and Jean-Luc du Preez – to name a few – put the Canes right on the back foot.
But, despite this excellent display of clinical rugby, the Sharks were not perfect. Any team that faces a New Zealand side knows that there is at least a try or two that needs to be sacrificed to their incredible counter-attacking ways.
The Canes had their moments, keeping themselves in the game, but what really sunk the visitors is how their discipline started to let them down, especially when it got tight towards the end.
Even before the lead-up to the final try, four minutes into extra time, the Sharks had given awaymore than double the amoun t of penalties than the Canes.
Then, with the Canes kicking a much-needed three points to get them in sight with the time ticking, the Sharks gave away three penalties in a row before that fateful Laumape try.
Du Preez will be fuming about that disciplinary lapse that led to the Hurricanes snatching victory, especially after making a point about how costly their yellow card was against the Blues (it saw three tries being scored against them in Auckland).
But other than the discipline, and the result ofcourse, the Sharks have everything to be proud of.
They rode the wave of optimism from the Blues into the Hurricanes game and deserved to win. And, if the cliché is anything to go by, you learn more from your losses thanyour wins.
Captain RuanBotha said the team is excited to be heading home after their four-week stint abroad, with two tough derbies against the Bulls and Stormers coming up.
The Sharks also return with a lot more respect and credibility behind their name, and a platform on which to seriously mount a challenge into the second ha lf o f this season.