DURBAN - Springboks prop Coenie Oosthuizen has never been shy of a battle and that is exactly what he
expects on Saturday night at Kings Park when the wounded Waratahs tackle the Sharks in a round three Super Rugby match.
The Sharks returned home earlier this week from a loss in Brisbane and a victory in Canberra, and now host a New South Wales team that will be hurting from a 50-point mauling at Ellis Park last week at the hands of the Lions.
“The thing with Super Rugby is that you can be on top of your game one week only to be caught off-guard the next, and lose,” Oosthuizen said.
“But you almost immediately have an opportunity to fight back, that is the good thing about a long competition.
“We know the Waratahs will come out on a mission, we know what to expect from a hurting team.
“They are probably Australia’s best side and they were not up to scratch last week against the Lions.
“They know it, and we know it, and that means this game is shaping up to be a classic.”
Oosthuizen, all 127kg of him, said he and his fellow tight five held the key.
“They are going to come at us and we have to stand our ground and then do what we have to do to give our backs quick ball.
“We want to build momentum in this competition after an indifferent game against the Reds and then a spirited performance against the Brumbies.
“We are not going to take a step back and neither will they.”
Oosthuizen said that Sharks supporters should get themselves down to Kings Park for an epic struggle.
“This game has all the
ingredients for an excellent match. The Waratahs have a point to prove and we are playing our first home game, which is hugely important for us,” he said.
“What more could a crowd want?”
The Sharks had a nervous round one match against the Reds, failing to apply their pre-season intention of using the ball. They kicked away far too much possession.
“We were very disappointed in our performance in that game,” Oosthuizen said.
“We left so much out on the field, and it hurt afterwards
because we had trained so hard in the pre-season, and knew how we wanted to play, but perhaps did not have the belief to go out and do it.
“We got much more possession against the Brumbies, produced quick ball and
ultimately had the belief to win the game at the death. It was a massive relief, and now the trick is to keep mentally strong and make sure we build on that performance,” the 27-year-old said.
“It is a heck of a competition and if you take your eye off the ball for an instant, you will lose to teams like the Waratahs, even if you are at home.”
Oosthuizen said the mental switch made by the Sharks going into the Brumbies game made the difference.
“There was no way we were going to play indecisively two weeks in a row,” he said. “In Canberra we wanted to resolve matters after not backing ourselves against the Reds.”
There has been some debate as to whether the Sharks should have kicked more goals in Brisbane but Oosthuizen said that captain Patrick Lambie was correct in his decisions to kick penalties for the corner.
“Us forwards believe we can do anything,” he laughed. “I think we have one of the best captains in the competition. Pat is calm and clear-headed. He knows what he wants and we back him 100 percent.”