Perth – The Sharks are beyond desperate to end their losing streak after their 30-17 demolition by the Reds in Brisbane at the weekend.
The Durbanites spent Sunday licking their wounds in the Western Australian capital, and o Monday they will get cracking at training ahead of Friday’s match against the Force, their last hope of a tour win to pack into their suitcases when they return home on Saturday
They have slumped to 11th on the overall standings and are fourth in the SA Conference after losing five consecutive matches.
“The first thing we spoke about in the change room after losing to the Reds last week was that we simply had to beat the Force. It is an absolute must-win game for Sharks rugby. We have to snap out of this losing run,” said assistant coach Grant Bashford.
“We have to come up with something exceptional. We really want to finish on a high, and if that is to happen we have to respect the fact that the Force are not the pushovers they might have been in the past.”
Three weeks ago the Force beat the Crusaders in Perth just after the Christchurch team had lost in Durban – the last game the Sharks have won.
The Force then drew 11-11 with the Reds, and at the weekend lost by one point to the Chiefs in New Zealand.
The Crusaders have since got their season back on track thanks to the return from injury of senior players such as Dan Carter, and the Sharks will be hoping to do the same when they get back to Durban, where Bismarck du Plessis will be ready for action.
However, barring a miracle, the Sharks can kiss the play-offs goodbye – besides needing bonus-point victories in their five remaining matches, their rivals would have to start losing regularly.
“In this competition you would be naive to think you will go unbeaten. Every team loses a game or two, but you have to quickly get back to winning ways so that you don’t get into a downward spiral, and we have not been able to prevent that and are currently low on self-belief,” Bashford said.
“Every week for us has been like starting again, with new people coming in for injured players.
“It is hard for new combinations to instantly play well. And that is what has happened to us. We simply are not playing well enough,” he said.
However, Bashford said there was no excusing the mistakes made by the team.
“You cannot lose the ball in contact against teams like the Chiefs, Highlanders and Reds, not with their counter-attacking ability, and they have taken the ball gifted to them and gone and scored tries.
“In all of our losses we have put together some really good passages of play, but have also gone to sleep for long periods. We cannot be inconsistent like that and expect to win games over here.”
The Force are back at home and they will be just as keen to win as the Sharks.
“There is a tougher edge to these guys now, and they will be backing themselves at home against a Sharks team out of form,” Bashford admitted.
“There will be enough respect for the Force from us. It is going to be a huge game for both sides.
“We have got to dig deep and find the confidence to back ourselves, because a lot of our mistakes are because the guys are unsure of themselves.
“It does not really matter whether or not we are still remotely in with a chance of making the play-offs.
“The only thing that matters right now is getting the win. To do that, we have to hang on to the ball and build pressure, and if we do that, we can beat anybody.” - The Star