There may have been a good reason why they weren’t on the money first up, but there were nonetheless plenty of things for the Sharks to mull over as they flew back to Durban from Johannesburg on Saturday morning.
The decision to forego any emphasis on tough match preparation in the pre-season was clearly one factor in their 18-13 defeat to the Vodacom Bulls at Loftus that got their campaign off to a false start. The Sharks only played the Boland Cavaliers and the Kings in the build-up, and the quality of opposition wasn’t good enough to get them used to the narrower margin of error evidenced at Super Rugby level.
That was why in the first three quarters of the game they seemed to be struggling to get any finesse into their execution when placed under any kind of pressure and why they struggled for continuity and battled with their decision making. It was also why indiscipline cost them dearly and was punished by the goalkicking boot of Morne Steyn.
They got better later on when they seemed to settle into the game, and in that sense the Stormers shouldn’t be reading too much into the Loftus result ahead of the big coastal derby at Newlands this coming weekend. Maybe the Sharks just needed a tough hit out, and they got it in Pretoria.
“The way we played with 10 to 15 minutes left is the way we should have played from the start of the game, and that was disappointing for us,” said coach John Plumtree afterwards.
As match sharpness can be easily remedied, perhaps what Plumtree should be most concerned with was the way that some of the problems that blighted last year’s Super Rugby challenge were still in evidence. The lineouts were an Achilles heel in 2011 and they look like being so again. The Sharks were dominated at the restarts, and Anton Bresler, on the evidence of the Super Rugby opener, doesn’t look like a No 5 lock.
Dale Chadwick stood up to his Super Rugby baptism as a replacement for the injured Beast Mtawarira, but it should also be a concern to the Sharks brains trust that the strong forward effort that used to be considered a given with the Sharks is becoming less frequent. The Sharks were outmuscled and like in the Currie Cup final, where Bandise Maku did the trick, Chiliboy Ralepelle and the rest of the Bulls forwards showed how effectively Bismarck du Plessis can be removed as a factor if his physical presence is fronted and he is not allowed to assert himself.(Chilli boy was a non entity)
NOT A NEW PROBLEM
The Sharks appear to rely too heavily on the younger Du Plessis as a rallying point at forward and in this sense the sooner that Willem Alberts comes back from injury and is present to front the drive and add his substantial presence to the physical battle, so much the better for the Sharks . Given the way the locks struggled at Loftus, maybe Alberts can even find a home in the second row, particularly when/if Jean Deysel gets over his injury later in the Sharks’ season.
“We were disappointed with our performance. There were some good aspects towards the end but when, for instance, you lose five lineouts you are going to battle to get your game going. That was a major problem for us,” said Plumtree.
Indeed it was, but what should be troubling him is that it isn’t a new problem. And neither was the way the Sharks struggled with the Bulls’ accurate kicking game, something they are certainly not likely to be alone in when it comes to playing at Loftus.
“Their contestable kicks peppered us all the time and they built pressure from either getting the bounce or collecting those box kicks, which was crucial for them. They forced us into some errors and caught us behind the advantage line a few times, ” said the coach.
“Our discipline is also obviously going to have to be a big focus going forward. It is all very well talking about discipline, but you have to act it. When you are conceding more than 10 penalties a game that is too much, particularly when the opposition have Morne Steyn in the team.”
The Stormers, who the Sharks face next up, also have an inform goalkicker in Joe Pietersen, so the focus on discipline will be big for the Sharks this week. What may hearten them though was the way the Hurricanes backs appeared to expose the normally immaculate Stormers defence in the first round, and the Sharks’ backline attack was excellent when they were given opportunity against the Bulls.
JP Pietersen played his first televised game at outside centre and on the evidence of the Bulls match the coaches are right to be excited about what he can bring to the midfield, and the same can be said for former Stormers centre Tim Whitehead. (Well I cant say they set the game alight by any means!!)
Paul Jordaan, when he came on, added punch at the back, and the Sharks would do well to consider a recall for Charl McLeod at scrumhalf as Frederic Michalak delivered a stuttery performance in Pretoria and the attacks too often broke down around the fringes of the recycles.
Have to agree these two did make a difference. Sharkies need beast and a top lock.
Prepare for more blues sharkies!!
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