Loftus has become an unlikely happy hunting ground for the Sharks in recent seasons, and on Saturday it was the venue where the reigning Currie Cup champs seemingly revived their title defence with a crucial 26-15 win.
For the second week in a row, the Sharks really turned it on in the second half, but this time they managed to do enough to secure a much-needed victory that ended a three-match winless streak.
Saturday’s four point haul enabled the Durban side to leap-frog the Pumas into third place on the log, a far happier position than the sixth place that defeat would have left them in.
Afterwards, it was no surprise that coach Brad Macleod-Henderson was quick to commend his hard-working team.
“We knew it was going to take an 80 minute effort from us if we wanted to beat the Blue Bulls, and we did just that, which was great to see. There was a huge amount of commitment, the guys kept getting off the ground and making their tackles, and that was very pleasing to see.”
Although the Sharks did have some trouble at scrum-time, their lineout dominance was a key factor in their victory.
“It was a huge bonus for us to do so well at lineout time,” Macleod-Henderson commented. “The Bulls have a strong maul, and if you deny them that opportunity, you’re not only stealing a lineout, but you’re also depriving them of an opportunity to do what they are really good at. We were very happy with the way we contested at the lineouts.”
The Sharks also showed some real intent on attack, with Lionel Cronje producing an impressive performance at flyhalf, and Macleod-Henderson said he was pleased to have seen an improvement in their execution.
“That’s something we’ve struggled with this year, we haven’t been taking all our opportunities, but I thought we were good with that in this match, and that was great to see. Keeping the scoreboard ticking over meant we were able to keep the Bulls under pressure throughout the game.”
This Saturday the Sharks will take on the Kings in Durban, and it presents another opportunity for them to build some momentum as the tournament heads towards the business end.
“It is crucial to keep up the continuity, it’s a tough competition, and we keep saying that. We now play the EP Kings now and that’s not going to be an easy game. They’re sitting at the bottom of the table, but we’ve seen from their performances that they do play some nice rugby. So we will enjoy the win, rest up, and come back to start preparing for another challenging match.” - Daily News