AUDIO: Pietersen reacts to first CC victory
AUDIO: It was close to the Sharks’ best performance of their Currie Cup campaign and they did it with seven debutants against the 14-man Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Sharks head coach JP Pietersen was elated after his side recorded their first victory in the fourth round of the Currie Cup and they did so without any of the United Rugby Championship stars, who are all taking their mandatory eight-week rest.
Spurred on by an energised Baby Bok Jurenzo Julius, one of the debutants, the Sharks managed to break the back of the previously unbeaten Lions.
Speaking after the game, Pietersen stated that his side had been knocking on the door but had not been able to record wins in their first three outings.
“We are very proud as a group.
“It was close to our best performance of the campaign.
“We’ve been knocking on the door for something and finally, the door opened for us and we took the opportunity,” the head coach commented.
“The Under-21 okes did bring that something special.”
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Despite the youthful Sharks side, they dominated throughout, taking a 20-3 lead into halftime.
Two tries from the hosts in the final 10 minutes made the scoreline more respectable but Petersen explained he also had faith in the youngsters in his side.
“We’ve got unbelievable young blood in the team.
“To see how the young men performed and fought for the jersey is really special.
“It was a massive achievement to win at Ellis Park and to get five points and not give the Lions any points,” a proud Petersen said.
The Sharks’ results in the Currie Cup have all been close, losing 25-26 to the Lions in the first round, 31-34 to Griquas (round two), and their worst showing, going down 21-31 to the Pumas in round three.
“It shows that we’ve been working really hard and we know we are on the right path.
“Finally, all our hard work and talking showed today in the result today.
“On Monday we will go back to the drawing board and start again.”
This week the Sharks travel to Nelspruit to face the Pumas
Let’s recap 😎#CurrieCup #LIOvSHA pic.twitter.com/ZWVvrrx7oh
— The Sharks (@SharksRugby) July 29, 2024
