Kings very good on the ground - Lewies
Cell C Sharks have a Vodacom Super Rugby assignment in Port Elizabeth this weekend.
Listen to the full interview here, or read our story below.
The Sharks will be up against the Kings on Saturday.
Kickoff is at 17h15.
Federico Anselmi will referee the game.
The Sharks have won their last two matches.
They have beaten both the Jaguares and the Force since their home draw with the Rebels.
Sharks lock forward, Stephan Lewies, believes they have responded well to what was a disappointing display against the Rebels.
"We had hard words after the Rebels game. You know our coach (Robert du Preez) was not happy and neither were the players. We did not play up to the standards we expect from ourselves in that game against the Rebels. We had a hard look at ourselves after that match. We put in the hard yards and it has come through for us. Now we have to build on it," Lewies said.
The Sharks did have Andre Esterhuizen sent off during the first half of the Rebels game and Lewies admits that his dismissal had had a big impact on the Sharks.
"We didn't really understand how hard it is to play with a red card. It is a hard thing to do when it happens early in the game. After that we spoke about what to do in such situations. We are now sticking together better and have upped our work-rate. We are also making less errors and by cutting out errors we have made things easier for ourselves," Lewies added.
Lewies is currently competing with Ruan Botha and Etienne Oosthuizen for a spot in the Sharks starting 15. Lewies feels they are pushing one another nicely.
"There is definitely healthy competition between the three of us. I think it brings out the best in all of us. I think we have all done well when given a chance out on the park. I think there is also good competition in other parts of the squad and it is making for a strong team," Lewies said.
The Sharks pack this season is more experienced than their backs. Lewies believes whether more experienced or not, it tends to be the job of the forwards to take the lead.
"There is always the talk that the forwards have to lay the platform. In any rugby game if your forwards do well and your set-piece functions well, it makes life easier for the backs. I think this is more so in a team like ours where there is a younger backline. We as forwards definitely want to take the leadership and we enjoy taking leadership and giving our backs that platform. I think Pat Lambie coming back will make life easier for the backs as well," Lewies added.
The Kings are seen as an effective counter-attacking side. Lewies believes they will be up against an improved and improving Sharks pack this weekend.
"After the Rebels game we spoke about continuous improvement. I think that is what our pack is all about. We want to get better every game and I think we have improved every game since that game against the Rebels. This week we want to take it another step up. This means making less mistakes, dominating the set-piece and dominating the loose. The Kings are very good on the ground. So we are concentrating a lot on our rucks this week. We want to have clear rucks and quick ball. That is the job of the forwards. So we definitely have to impose ourselves to give the backs a good platform," Lewies concluded.
Twitter - @SportswaveAndre
Kickoff is at 17h15.
Federico Anselmi will referee the game.
The Sharks have won their last two matches.
They have beaten both the Jaguares and the Force since their home draw with the Rebels.
Sharks lock forward, Stephan Lewies, believes they have responded well to what was a disappointing display against the Rebels.
"We had hard words after the Rebels game. You know our coach (Robert du Preez) was not happy and neither were the players. We did not play up to the standards we expect from ourselves in that game against the Rebels. We had a hard look at ourselves after that match. We put in the hard yards and it has come through for us. Now we have to build on it," Lewies said.
The Sharks did have Andre Esterhuizen sent off during the first half of the Rebels game and Lewies admits that his dismissal had had a big impact on the Sharks.
"We didn't really understand how hard it is to play with a red card. It is a hard thing to do when it happens early in the game. After that we spoke about what to do in such situations. We are now sticking together better and have upped our work-rate. We are also making less errors and by cutting out errors we have made things easier for ourselves," Lewies added.
Lewies is currently competing with Ruan Botha and Etienne Oosthuizen for a spot in the Sharks starting 15. Lewies feels they are pushing one another nicely.
"There is definitely healthy competition between the three of us. I think it brings out the best in all of us. I think we have all done well when given a chance out on the park. I think there is also good competition in other parts of the squad and it is making for a strong team," Lewies said.
The Sharks pack this season is more experienced than their backs. Lewies believes whether more experienced or not, it tends to be the job of the forwards to take the lead.
"There is always the talk that the forwards have to lay the platform. In any rugby game if your forwards do well and your set-piece functions well, it makes life easier for the backs. I think this is more so in a team like ours where there is a younger backline. We as forwards definitely want to take the leadership and we enjoy taking leadership and giving our backs that platform. I think Pat Lambie coming back will make life easier for the backs as well," Lewies added.
The Kings are seen as an effective counter-attacking side. Lewies believes they will be up against an improved and improving Sharks pack this weekend.
"After the Rebels game we spoke about continuous improvement. I think that is what our pack is all about. We want to get better every game and I think we have improved every game since that game against the Rebels. This week we want to take it another step up. This means making less mistakes, dominating the set-piece and dominating the loose. The Kings are very good on the ground. So we are concentrating a lot on our rucks this week. We want to have clear rucks and quick ball. That is the job of the forwards. So we definitely have to impose ourselves to give the backs a good platform," Lewies concluded.
Twitter - @SportswaveAndre