Crusaders wary of ‘circling Sharks’

Last year the Sharks endured one of the most forgettable performances Kings Park has seen – a 52-10 defeat to the Crusaders. Adding insult to injury was Jean Deysel’s red card for foul play which sealed the Durban outfit’s fate.

Fast forward a year and the Sharks are vastly different side. A change of guard has done wonders in rejuvenating the side as youngsters have been putting in performances that has seen the Sharks go undefeated in four games.

Likewise, the Crusaders have enjoyed a good start to the season. It is different story from seasons past for the traditional ‘slow-starters’ and all these factors lead one to think that Saturday’s match will bear no resemblance to the drubbing served up at Kings Park in 2014.

Both camps have quashed any talks of history repeating itself this weekend. Instead, respect has been given both ways ahead of what promises to be one of the matches of the weekend.

All Blacks and Crusaders captain Kieran Read hasn’t been on the receiving end of too many hidings, but he does believe that there will be  a twinge of revenge in the air for a couple of the Sharks players.

“It’s a big occasion every time we come here and play at Shark Park. Its human nature to be thinking about what happened in the past and they’ll be feeling that a bit this week. But as soon as we get on the field it’s two pretty good sides who’ve had good starts going at it, so it will be a challenge for us,” Read said.

The Crusaders have two wins from three matches and are enjoying a similar vein of form to the Sharks. Having face the Durban outfit a number of times during his career, the New Zealand skipper believes the Sharks have a different aura about them this year.

“I think they’re just a bit more confident. They’re not doing too much different; they’re playing to their strengths. A few young guys I guess have come in and really taken their opportunities in the forward pack and are playing really well.”

Meanwhile the Sharks are looking to return to winning ways following their draw with the Bulls last weekend. While most teams would settle for that result at Loftus, Sharks director of rugby Gary Gold was unhappy with a number of squandered attacking opportunities that would have won the game.

Gold hopes that they can convert more of their attacking chances into points in the coming weeks.

“It’s something we’ve worked really hard at but it’s not a concern at the moment. But we must realise that those opportunities are not regular when you play against good opposition. It’s really important that we are clinical, that when we get these opportunities that we finish them,” Gold said.

The weekend’s clash will also serve as a final building block before a very tough tour of New Zealand. Gold conceded that the Crusaders would be the biggest hurdle they’ve faced this year.

“I think this is going to be our sternest test. They’re a good team, and even by their standards they’ve started well. They’ll be confident after beating any team by more than 50 points – they’re a confident bunch and they’ve got their sights on winning this competition.”

The Sharks face the Crusaders at 17h15 on Saturday at Growthpoint Kings Park.

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