Sharks taking it one step at a time - Coenie
The Cell C Sharks will take it week by week during their New Zealand tour as they look for difficult wins on the road.
The pressure is firmly on the Sharks to find a higher gear after two consecutive lacklustre performances that ended in defeat in front of Durban’s Kings Park faithful. In a competition as gruelling as Super Rugby wins at home are vitally important and the Sharks missed the beat.
It raises the stakes of their three week tour as a win away from home will do wonders for their position on the South African log. They must make amends for their losses to the Crusaders and Lions and their clash against the Blues could be their best bet of a win on tour.
The Sharks were deeply introspective after their most recent loss, knowing full well that dropping points at home could cost them dearly.
Sharks prop Coenie Oosthuizen, who had a torrid time against the Lions scum, was honest about their below-par performance. However the Springbok said the mood in the camp was upbeat as they prepare to face the Blues in Auckland.
“I think things didn’t go as planned. You have to win home games in this competition but we are where we are at the moment and there is nothing we can do about the past. This week there is a good vibe and atmosphere in the camp. I think the guys know what their jobs are and what is expected from them,” Oosthuizen said.
Bulldozing centre Andre Esterhuizen echoed Oosthuizen’s sentiments.
“It was very disappointing for us because we never want to lose at home. You need all the wins you can get at home and we let ourselves down,” Esterhuizen said.
“On the day we lost to a better team, they were more up for it. I don’t think it has anything to do with the bye, we have no excuses for that – we just didn’t pitch up. The guys were disappointed but we’ve moved on and we’re ready for the next challenge.”
Under the new leadership of former All Blacks skipper Tana Umaga, the Blues have made a massive turnaround from their past few seasons. However they are still bottom of the New Zealand table and the Sharks will believe that their scalp is right for the taking.
That is why the Sharks are focused firmly on their first fixture on tour, according to Oosthuizen.
“You need to look at the big picture. You have to have a good tour in order to win the Super Rugby competition. Going into a tour, we are going to take it game for game; we don’t need to get ahead of ourselves. Especially after this weekend, we need to get back to basics and focus on the things we did well.”
Despite the Blues’ lowly position among the New Zealand teams, they have played some fantastic rugby. They have a powerful and dynamic forward pack that has often sparked an exciting backline.
Oosthuizen believes losing Marcell Coetzee to injury will make things difficult for the Sharks, but encouraged his teammates to get stuck in upfront if they are to cause an upset at Eden Park.
“After losing Marcell, this weekend we don’t have him to slow things down at the rucks. We need to dominate them at the end of the day. They are a physical side; you can’t look beyond that point. If we can dominate them at the set piece, or dominate their forwards to starve their backline it will be an interesting game.”
The Sharks face the Blues on Saturday morning - kickoff is at 09h35.
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