Du Preez critical after Sharks win

Playing their first home game of the domestic competition, the Sharks scored six tries in their 43-24 win over the Griquas on Friday night.

The hosts seem to have built on their first win of the season and scored some good tries from both open play and set pieces. The mix of experience and youth seems to be working out well but Du Preez is expecting continual improvements from his charges.

“I said during the week that we wanted to show an improvement and I’m not too sure that we did. There’s a lot of stuff to work on, I think we kicked too much possession away where we should have kept ball in hand,” the coach said after the match.

“That’s a big concern for me but nevertheless it’s a good win with a big margin and we are happy with the bonus point.”

The Sharks took an early lead in the first half and managed to stay ahead of the Griquas throughout the match. Du Preez made mention of his side’s ascendancy at the set piece but also nit-picked some soft moments in their performance.

“I thought at times they had us on the outside when we actually had numbers on them but our spacing wasn’t good – that’s something we have to work on but I don’t think it’s a train smash. But if you let in soft tries like that against better teams it’s going to be a problem,” Du Preez cautioned.

The Sharks pack deserves a lot of credit for the platform they’ve given a very young backline and Du Preez said they wanted to target the Griquas up front.

“That’s what we planned to do. I was pleased that even without Lourens Adriaanse there, our scrums were pretty good. Thomas (du Toit) did a good job. I think we kept the same standards we had against the Pumas – our lineouts and mauls were good as well.”

With a number of youngsters being given a good chance to play in the opening two games, the Sharks seemed to be looking to play more expansive rugby than they did in the Super Rugby campaign and Du Preez says that comes down to the legacy of the Durban outfit.

“The Sharks have always been known for attacking rugby and we need to play with the ball in hand. When we have the ball we don’t have to make all of those defensive tackles and I’d rather have that than defend the whole time. I’m pleased with the progress but having said that, there were at least four or five more tries out there that we should have taken.”

As for the likes of young Curwin Bosch and Inny Radebe, Du Preez said patience was the key in helping their development.

“They are inexperienced so it will take time and we have to be patient with them. They certainly have the talent. They would have learned from tonight’s game, it was a good test for them and we will obviously persist with them. Its great to have that type of youth and exuberance in our setup.”

The Sharks face Boland in Wellington next Friday.

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