Hollywoodbets Sharks Defence Coach Joey Mongalo believes that there is enough room to manoeuvre in the final three weeks of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship to see his side into the top eight.
Speaking from the team’s base in Edinburgh, ahead of Friday night’s match, Mongalo reflects on last week’s match, with a view to taking lessons from the outcome and performance into this game.
“We had a really honest and good review after the Ospreys’ game, we felt that we left a whole bunch of opportunities out there.
“Our systems and processes got us to a point where we were within scoring distance, but we couldn’t get over the line.
“Conceding an intercept try was something difficult for a team to work through, and also a maul try, so those are two things that are easy for us to stop. But we created a number of opportunities and we kicked really well, so we felt we had enough territory and possession to win that game.”
Which all leads us to Friday night’s clash with Edinburgh at Hive Stadium.
“We hope to have a similar performance, effort and physicality wise, both of which were really good against Ospreys, and far better than the previous game which was pleasing, and even notch it up in a few areas because we know there is more.
“Edinburgh are a good side, proud people and a stadium filled with supporters, so we know it’s going to be a hostile environment.”
While the team face a desperate uphill battle, they are not out of the running with three matches remaining in the pool stages, two of them at Hollywoodbets Kings Park.
“While we felt after last week’s loss that we are dead and out of the VURC, but we still have a chance of living and if you were on your death bed but someone said you had a 10% chance of living, in our case a 10% chance of making the play-offs, we should play with the desperation of someone with 10% chance of living, to show the same fight for survival.
“That’s the kind of desperation we need to fight with against an Edinburgh side that’s also desperate.
“We are optimistic, we are hopeful and we believe that our physicality and technical side is good enough. We are putting up our hands, we have everything to play for and we want our fans to switch on the TV on Friday night and see desperate people fighting to stay alive in the competition.
“Not just fighting for ourselves, but all our stakeholders and all our supporters.
“We’re hoping that the new regime under JP Pietersen’s leadership will show the character in this team.”