The Hollywoodbets Sharks face a demanding final four weeks in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, starting with tonight’s showdown with Ospreys as they look for a commanding, cohesive performance against the Welsh.
Head coach JP Pietersen, speaking from the team’s base in Swansea, believes that his team has the preparation and quality to deliver the necessary effort and outcome.
“We’ve used the time well, we’ve trained around getting our combinations right for this game,” he points out. “As we know, there isn’t much time left so it’s all about building as much cohesion as we can and get the group to understand what we need out of this tour.”
Balancing the challenge and pressure is an important component built into this period as they look to pick up log points right from the start.
“We understand where we are and the position we’re in, every game is like a knock-out: we have four games left and we want four wins to give ourselves a chance to qualify for the top eight.
“It’s important to get a result, the group understands this and I love seeing how they accept this challenge gladly despite the pressure. We have young guys, some in-between and some with experience, so they’re all pulling together and it’s nice to witness the guys all speaking and their buy-in, and learning from this experience together.”
Someone who has been thrust in the limelight is young 18-year-old fullback Zekhethelo Siyaya who now gets the chance to shine, having been handed a start on debut.
“He’s a local boytjie, very mature when you have conversations with him, but very quiet too. He has a solid head on his shoulders, he knows what he wants and he looks absolutely comfortable in the position.
“He gives good comms when he’s on the field and he understands the rugby detail which can usually be quite hard for a young man to get quickly.
“He fits in like he’s always been there; we’re excited for what he can bring. It will be a test for him on a heavy field but we’re all excited and behind him.”
Siya Kolisi was named on tour but Pietersen has confirmed that the Bok captain’s calf niggle continues to keep him out of action, but not for much longer.
“It’s his second week of full training but it does take some time to recovery from a calf injury and while he’s only at around 80%, we want him at 100% so hopefully by next week he’ll be good to go.”
Despite an extensive injury list, Pietersen has welcomed back a number of players returning to action, providing a big boost to the team’s aspirations.
“We have a bit of an injury crisis at the moment, it’s just how we manage and react to it as a group, and if you accept it or make excuses. The way we look at it is that we have some experienced guys coming back and it’s good to have them.
“Instead of looking at what we don’t have, we look at what we have got, and it’s a very experienced team that can do the job for us against Ospreys.”
Talking opposition, Pietersen warns that as in every game in the tournament, they expect big things from their opponents, even more so given the existential fight they’re currently facing.
“Their future is still unknown so they’re a desperate team that will play for contracts and whatever the future holds.
“We know they’re a tough side, very physical side with a big pack. They play very direct rugby but also like to move the ball, so we know what we’re in for.”