THE Sharks have hung deep to win their last two Super Rugby matches,

by MIKE GREENAWAY

THE Sharks have hung deep to win their last two Super Rugby matches, showing courage against the Waratahs and the Cheetahs but not a lot of finess, and their coach has called for serious introspection from the players before Saturday’s massive match against the Lions at Ellis Park and next week’s finale against the Bulls at Ellis Park.

John Pumtree knows that his team is not playing well enough to be championship material and has tasked his players with responding accordingly.

“The way we played against the Cheetahs was good from the point of view of the grit we showed but ultimately we will have to play better than that to beat the Lions this week and if we are to advance in this competition,” Plumtree said. “I think the Cheetahs will review the game and wonder how they lost.”

The coach said that he was concerned that his players were not getting enough of the basics right.

“We are playing too much rugby behind the advantage line and playing too much in the wrong areas of the field,” Plumtree said. “When we get that right, our game will get going.”

Over the last few weeks the Sharks have changed their strategy from the strictly ball-in-hand approach that was so successful in the Currie Cup, and have kicked more, but whatever game plan they adopt, it will not be effective if it is not based on forward momentum.

“Being more tactically savvy is also about the players wanting to achieve more,” Plumtree said. “For instance, carrying the ball across the advantage line is a big part of the game and we have not been doing enough of that.”

The Super Rugby data base will tell you that Sharks loose forward Willem Alberts is the competition’s most prolific ball carrier but he has been relatively neutralised of late by expectant opposition defences, and therein lies the rub for a Sharks team that have been deprived of their other principal ball carrier, Jean Deysel who has mostly been injured this season and then shortly after his comeback a fortnight ago was suspended.

Bismarck du Plessis has been the other principal battering ram and he too has been a marked man.

“This week there has been a big emphasis on every one doing their share of the ball carrying against the Lions, the coach said. “ The opposition works you out when there are only two or three doing it. Everyone has a responsibility to carry, but at the same time support play is vital. You don’t want everyone looking to carry and then have no one there to support or clean out.”

Plumtree said it is all about “getting flow and motion” into the attack.

“When we had that this season (the second half of the Crusaders game in London springs to mind) we have looked pretty good,” he added. “Of course, the Lions will be looking to stop us getting that flow, and that is what the game is all about.”