Sharks lacked control - Van der Walt
Philip van der Walt started for the Cell C Sharks in their Vodacom Super Rugby loss to the Reds last weekend.
The Reds edged the Sharks 28-26 in Brisbane and Van der Walt believes he knows what went wrong.
"We definitely feel we could have controlled the game better. We feel that we let them off the hook often. We did well by kicking to corners and putting pressure on them. However, we then made errors and gave them opportunities that robbed us of the ball. It was frustraing for us," Van der Walt said.
Van der Walt also feels that there are positives to take from the Brisbane defeat.
"We definitely feel that our work-rate was good. We got up off the floor well and players were pretty keen on making their tackles. You know players were working back after the line had been cut in a scramble defence. However, I do believe that there is still a lot of work to be done. We have worked hard this week and this will hopefully make it harder for our opponents to cut the line. I think the effort was there in Brisbane, but we lacked a bit on the technical side," Van der Walt added.
The Sharks on a number occasions kicked penalties for the corner instead of taking shots at goal. Van der Walt says the players certainly support the decisions taken by the team leadership.
"We definitely back our captain and vice-captain in those decisions. We weren't very confident prior to the game that we could actually give these guys a go at maule time. I don't feel we are going to make a set rule in this regard. We will have to assess every opportunity we get accordingly. It may well be that Pat (Lambie) will choose to go for posts next time. We did feel that with them down to 14 men, we could score and we also felt that we were in charge of the scoreboard at that stage. We wanted to maintain pressure on the Reds by staying in their 22. This instead of going for the three points and allowing them back in our half," Van der Walt said.
Van der Walt believes the key is to make opportunities count by being more accurate and disciplined when on attack.
"We need to be more clinical and more accurate. That would be the way to back the decision Pat (Lambie) makes. I think we were maybe a bit too eager in Brisbane. I do feel that there is a good vibe in this squad and that this will pay dividends for us. Of course there is also a smart way to play," Van der Walt cautioned.
The Sharks will face the Brumbies next. They will clash this Saturday morning with kickoff scheduled for 10h45 - South African time. Van der Walt feels that the Brumbies pack will provide the Sharks with a stiff challenge.
"They definitely have a solid set-piece. We will have to compete. We need to pressure their set-piece and this could set up the game nicely. We feel they have strong ball-carriers and they are very clinical. Perhaps they do not have the biggest names, but they are in synch and organised. The try they scored against the Crusaders showed that they really know what they are doing," Van der Walt concluded.
Twitter - @SportswaveAndre
"We definitely feel we could have controlled the game better. We feel that we let them off the hook often. We did well by kicking to corners and putting pressure on them. However, we then made errors and gave them opportunities that robbed us of the ball. It was frustraing for us," Van der Walt said.
Van der Walt also feels that there are positives to take from the Brisbane defeat.
"We definitely feel that our work-rate was good. We got up off the floor well and players were pretty keen on making their tackles. You know players were working back after the line had been cut in a scramble defence. However, I do believe that there is still a lot of work to be done. We have worked hard this week and this will hopefully make it harder for our opponents to cut the line. I think the effort was there in Brisbane, but we lacked a bit on the technical side," Van der Walt added.
The Sharks on a number occasions kicked penalties for the corner instead of taking shots at goal. Van der Walt says the players certainly support the decisions taken by the team leadership.
"We definitely back our captain and vice-captain in those decisions. We weren't very confident prior to the game that we could actually give these guys a go at maule time. I don't feel we are going to make a set rule in this regard. We will have to assess every opportunity we get accordingly. It may well be that Pat (Lambie) will choose to go for posts next time. We did feel that with them down to 14 men, we could score and we also felt that we were in charge of the scoreboard at that stage. We wanted to maintain pressure on the Reds by staying in their 22. This instead of going for the three points and allowing them back in our half," Van der Walt said.
Van der Walt believes the key is to make opportunities count by being more accurate and disciplined when on attack.
"We need to be more clinical and more accurate. That would be the way to back the decision Pat (Lambie) makes. I think we were maybe a bit too eager in Brisbane. I do feel that there is a good vibe in this squad and that this will pay dividends for us. Of course there is also a smart way to play," Van der Walt cautioned.
The Sharks will face the Brumbies next. They will clash this Saturday morning with kickoff scheduled for 10h45 - South African time. Van der Walt feels that the Brumbies pack will provide the Sharks with a stiff challenge.
"They definitely have a solid set-piece. We will have to compete. We need to pressure their set-piece and this could set up the game nicely. We feel they have strong ball-carriers and they are very clinical. Perhaps they do not have the biggest names, but they are in synch and organised. The try they scored against the Crusaders showed that they really know what they are doing," Van der Walt concluded.
Twitter - @SportswaveAndre