Hollywoodbets Sharks head coach JP Pietersen praised his side’s temperament and composure in delivering a gutsy Investec Champions Cup performance against Saracens at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Saturday.
“That’s the game of rugby, I’ve been talking all week about ‘fight’ and playing for 80 minutes,” he said after his team had defeated the English giants 28-23. “There were some patches where we didn’t do well, but it just showed the character in the team and you could see how much it meant to the team afterwards in the changeroom.”
From a personal point of view, stepping into the role has its pressures and expectations, but Pietersen is comfortable with what he has to do and how to manage the players.
“It’s been a testing time, 100%, there are a lot of moving parts, but it’s quite easy for me, I was a player before and I understand what the players think and need. All they want is clarity, to know the goal and plan going forward, and it’s quite easy to feel and understand that.”
Pietersen praised his captain Andre Esterhuizen, who, on his 100th appearance also took the Man of the Match award, and deservedly so.
“I remember Andre’s debut like it was yesterday, I played centre and he came on at wing against the Hurricanes in New Zealand and we ended up playing a lot of games together.
“He’s grown up so much and has become the ultimate all-round player now, they call him ‘the hybrid’.
“I’m unbelievably proud of him, the way he leads and the way he was talking to the boys. When he asked for a response, it did come. His calling on the field was good, I didn’t need to step in much which means he is a natural leader.”
The centre partnership between Esterhuizen and Ethan Hooker came off a treat and Pietersen acknowledged just how much of a presence they were and what they offer the team.
“They complement each other well, both defensively and on attack, and it feels like with them, we have 10 forwards on the field and that gives us momentum. We can rely on Andre and Ethan to give us a bit of go-forward.”
The weather certainly made its presence felt, and while both sides have to contend with it, the Hollywoodbets Sharks somehow managed the conditions better.
“I think the weather suited them better, coming from similar conditions up north, but it just shows how good we are when we are under pressure.
“We are looking for hope and belief and I think we found it in the game.”
The performance in summation?
“It wasn’t a perfect performance, we were put under pressure, we conceded scrum penalties, we lost aerial battles, we knocked balls on, we lost lineouts.
“So the work-ons for us are winning the aerial battle, the set-piece: when we get into their 22, can we score more tries. And stopping the maul, Saracens scored two mauling tries, so that’s a work-on for us too.”
With around 56% possession and territory, Saracens held the advantage, but it was the Hollywoodbets Sharks who were more clinical on attack and who finished off their chances better in the game.
“That’s something we take confidence from, going into our next clash.”