DURBAN - After the Sharks had beaten the Sunwolves 50-22 in Durban at the weekend, coach Robert du Preez was far from triumphant in that his team had won their first 2018 Super Rugby game, but instead proclaimed that a highly determined Sharks team would go unbeaten over the next four weeks on tour.
“Well that is the target,” Du Preez said, to be fair to him, when adding a rider to his initial optimistic ambition. T
he truth is the Sharks’ best bet for a win on tour is this weekend’s match against the struggling Brumbies, the former champions who have fallen on hard times and cannot buy a win this season.
Jamie Joseph, the Sunwolves coach, said at Kings Park that the Sharks had to back themselves to beat the bumbling Brumbies, to continue momentum from the defeat of his team.
“For the Sharks, having a battling Brumbies side as your first tour match is a gift from the rugby heavens, and they must cash in on it, because it is only going to get tougher,” the former All Black No 8 said.
Next week the Sharks travel to Melbourne to play the revelation of the tournament thus far. The Rebels are strongly resurgent and have been beating teams handsomely. They are on a crest of a wave.
The Sharks’ third match is against a Blues side that showed their quality at the weekend when they beat the Lions at Ellis Park.
The Durbanites close their tour with a match against the Hurricanes in Wellington. The Canes showed their title credentials at the weekend when they beat the Crusaders at the Cake Tin.