Q and A with Bismarck du Plessis
Rohan Hoffmann will serve as referee and kickoff is at 11h40 in the morning - South African time.
Here is what Du Plessis had to say today.
Improved performance for the Hurricanes game
We’re certainly not happy with the result, I’d be lying if I said any Cell C Sharks player was content to lose a game, but our performance was better than the previous three or four weeks, so at least there is that positive to take out of the game.
Motivation for that game
We looked at the things we did against the Highlanders that we did wrong, we gave them way too much turnover ball and made too many unforced errors, and it was really important that we sorted out those mistakes. We wanted better ball possession and not give them easy field position.
Mood in the camp
The spirit in our camp is always positive, but it’s tough when things don’t go your way. This weekend we have another opportunity and that’s the beauty of SupeRugby. Last weekend we played the top side in the competition and this weekend we’re up against the reigning champions. It doesn’t get any easier.
How much motivation do you take out of the fact that no one in the team has ever beaten them in Sydney
I don’t think you can take that kind of motivation into any game, especially in a season when you’ve been underperforming. We do take a lot of confidence out of last week, especially not letting them score as easily as we had in earlier games. We crossed their line five times and although we were only rewarded three times, at least we are going in the right direction as far as attack goes.
Waratahs
They were deserved champions last year, they’re a complete side, more physical than most of the Australian sides with strong forwards and some outstanding backs who can make magic. We just need to make sure we close down their space and stop the forwards’ momentum.
Improvement in attack
We can’t really be happy with our performance, but we do take confidence from the improvement, it was better. We’re definitely not happy with losing, but we have taken a few steps in the right direction.
What would victory mean for the guys
We need to turn the ship around. The tour is so much better when you win and we’re definitely not happy with our performances – two losses in our two tour matches so far – that’s unacceptable for the Sharks. We’re underperforming at this stage and we’re just going to give it all we can this weekend.
(File Photo: Gallo Images)
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