Daniel hails his power pack
Sharks skipper Keegan Daniel is expecting the Springbok forwards in his pack to make a major difference when they take on the Cheetahs in their Currie Cup semifinal in Durban on Saturday.
The defending champions have been in relatively erratic form this season, but still did enough to secure a home semifinal and they will be a force to be reckoned with on Saturday with all of their stars back in the frame.
Daniel commented: “Guys like Bismarck [Du Plessis], Jannie [Du Plessis] and Willem [Alberts] are all big ball-carriers, we welcome them with open arms.
“They have the ability to get you over the gainline most times when they carry the ball, they are exceptionally effective on defence as well.
“They have been a great boost to our squad and their attitude coming back from the World Cup has been phenomenal so far,” he said.
Last week the Sharks managed to dismantle an understrength Lions team to book a home semifinal and the impact their Springboks made when they came off the bench was obvious.
Daniel said that although that result against the table-topping team from Johannesburg gave his side great confidence heading into the cauldron of knock-out rugby, there are still some areas they can improve in.
“Playing the top team and you manage to put 50 points, you will take confidence from that,” admitted Daniel.
“But there were areas we weren’t too happy with, but for us, it was about integrating players into the team.”
The Sharks flanker, and one-time Bok cap, added: “It wasn’t about individuals, it was more about a team performance and we were satisfied with the way we played.
“Coming to finals rugby, it is quite difference to the pool stages and we will have to tighten up more and take it as it comes on the weekend.”
The Sharks captain is well aware of the different threats that the Cheetahs will pose this weekend, not least of all their loose trio who he will come up against on Saturday.
“They have a talent loose trio, some pretty young guys as well, but we all know what Ashley [Johnson] can do with ball in hand, he’s big but mobile and gets the ball over the advantage line. So they are quite big and quite dynamic, we will have to pay extra attention to Ashley,” he said.
One factor which may give the Sharks an advantage is the support they are likely to get from a home crowd that has come to expect good results after the team’s success in the Currie Cup in recent years.
Daniel said: “We are blessed to play for a team that has support all around the world, we get support wherever we go. Playing at Kings Park is incredibly special and it makes a massive difference to have a home semifinal.
“It was what we were working towards and for us it is about giving back and rewarding the fans who support us here week after week. Hopefully we’ll back it up with a great performance on the weekend.”
