DURBAN - Ox Nche says the presence of Springbok captain Siya Kolisi in the Sharks camp will help lift the players to make their mark in the approaching Rainbow Cup.
While Kolisi will not play in the preparation matches that will stretch from this weekend until the end of March, he will be hard at work on his conditioning and a part of the greater squad.
“It is great to have Siya here, he has won the World Cup and brings so much experience,” Nche said.
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“He wants to get better at his game and we will be watching him and how he prepares.
“Rugby is all about learning, and Siya himself wants to continue learning and improving.”
Neither Kolisi nor Nche will play in the Sharks’ match against Griquas on Sunday at Jonsson Kings Park in Durban.
They are in the “conditioning group”, as are nearly all of the players that played in the Currie Cup final against the Bulls last season, meaning this weekend will be an opportunity for up-and-coming youngsters and fringe players from last year that did not get much game time.
#OurSharks back in action on the training field 🔥![CDATA[]]>🦈#OurSharksForever pic.twitter.com/l72u4PsyjU
— The Sharks (@TheSharksZA) February 23, 2021
The preparation series is all about readying the Sharks, Bulls, Stormers and Lions for the Rainbow Cup, which kicks off on April 17, and Nche says the Sharks have a clear focus on where they need to improve.
“We are going into the Rainbow Cup so we want to make sure our set-pieces are unstoppable,” Nche said of what is known to be a major strength of the PRO14 teams.
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“Our aim over the next month or so (each SA team plays four matches) is to grow our set-piece depth, make it a better, and make sure everyone is on the same level. We have to get the set-piece basics right now so that by the time we get to the competition we are ready. We don’t want to be trying to fix things when the competition is underway.”
The Sharks’ set-piece was all over the place last year. The tight five had games in which they excelled and others in which they were poor or just average
“One thing I have learned about our set-pieces is that we have the players to do the job … it is just a mindset thing,” Nche explained.
“The guys need to make up their minds that we are going to dominate the set-piece – that’s the only difference from when we did well and when we were poor.
“Everything starts and finishes with your mental approach.”
@MikeGreenaway67
IOL Sport