Sharks mid term report

MIKE GREENAWAY

THE Sharks had their feet up this weekend watching a reasonably predictable round of Super Rugby unfold while the tournament rules banked them four points for the bye, but each player will know that when they reconvene for training tomorrow morning, they have to perform significantly better in the second half of the competition if the Sharks are to challenge for the title.

The Sharks’ bye came at precisely the halfway mark – they have played eight games and there are eight games remaining before the quarterfinals – and their report card reads as follows: shown good potential but can do better.

Midway, the Sharks are second on the SA Conference and sixth overall, which is reasonably rosy, and the good news is that coach John Plumtree feels his team are a long way off their best rugby.

“The positives are that we are in touch with the leaders and we have some quality players coming back from injury,” Plumtree says. “But the reality right now is that our game is a long way off where it should be. They guys understand that and, importantly, know very well that we are a team that is short on individual stars but collectively can play very well.”

The thing with the Sharks thus far is that their forwards have generally been very good, give or take the odd shaky lineout, but the backs have seldom fired, and the way the Sharks are trying to play the game – ball in hand – requires both departments to be in synch.

In this regard, flyhalf Patrick Lambie’s finger injury was a serious setback. With respect to Jacques-Louis Potgieter, Lambie makes the Sharks tick. He is the spark that ignites their game and it is welcome news indeed that he will be available for this weekend’s game against the Hurricanes in Durban. At the same time, Potgieter has now had game time and will better know what is required from him to make the Sharks’ backs function.

Encouragingly, Stefan Terblanche had an exceptional game against the Lions in his 200th appearance for the Sharks. The thing with Stefan is that in his second stint with the Sharks since returning from Wales, he was almost always brilliant at fullback, obviously his best position, and he has had to settle at 13.

In truth, few Sharks backs have covered themselves in glory so far, especially when you consider how some of the forwards have gone, with Willem Alberts so far the competition’s most valuable player according to a New Zealand weekly magazine, and Bismarck du Plessis the best hooker.

The Sharks have problems in the second row in terms of the lineout. They are missing the experience of Johann Muller (Ulster), who knew precisely when to call the throw to specific places in the lineout in particular positions in the field.

Alistair Hargreaves will get there. He is injured right now (collar bone) but the former SA Under 19 world title-winning captain has the pedigree to remedy this department long term as his experience accumulates. In the mean time, experienced Ross Skeate is at last over the finger injury he incurred in the pre-season friendly against the Stormers and off the bench made his comeback against the Lions in the home match preceding the bye.

“Overall, we have been patchy at best,” Plumtree reflected. “There have been some very good passages of play in most of our games, and we obviously want these to be longer and more consistent. For that to happen, we need individual players to step up. Not enough players are in form and that is problematic when your team ethic is about the contribution of each player to the general performance.”

A big positive is that the Sharks are in good physical shape. Hargreaves is the only injury concern and he is only a week or so away, while Lambie has had a pin extricated from his broken finger and will start this weekend.

*** On Friday night the Sharks XV celebrated a vitally important 29-22 Vodacom Cup win over the Pumas in Nelspruit. In their final qualifying round match, a win was non-negotiable for the Sharks’ understudies in their push for a home quarter-final.

Senior coach Plumtree would have had an eye on the comeback of burly flank Jean Deysel, while other back-up Sharks on duty included scrumhalf Conrad Hoffman, hooker Craig Burden, lock Anton Bresler and centre Riaan Swanepoel.