Sharks are breeding winners
Sharks assistant coach Reece-Edwards believes that the team is coming of age and have learnt the hard way that a good season means nothing if you don’t claim silverware.
The Sharks have had a track record of reaching finals and knock-out stages of competitions and then coming unstuck. However, that all seems to be changing with the possibility of a third Currie Cup title in four years when they face the Lions on Saturday.
“This is a massive occasion for them [the Lions] to be hosting a final; to win would be absolutely massive for them,” Reece-Edwards said. “For us to win, it’s another check towards a team that is striving to become a championship team rather than just a winning team.
“When I arrived here two years ago, we discussed the ethos of the Sharks, one thing that came up is that we are winners – because we generally win more than we lose – but we’re not a championship side, and that’s something we want to change.
“We reached the quarterfinals in the Super Rugby tournament this year, and winning the Currie Cup last year and then winning again this year would be another good step in the right direction for us, towards reaching that goal.”
The experienced coach i under no illusions about how tough it will be to go to Johannesburg and beat the Lions, who last won the Currie Cup by beating the Sharks in the 1999 final.
“On paper we might have the better side, but it’s about what’s on the field at the time, who pitches up. If we pitch up collectively, who knows? We haven’t always hit our straps against them,” Recce-Edwards added.
“The biggest benefit counting in the Lions favour is the fact that they’ve played together as the same team for the whole year.
“We were a bit patchy against Free State after playing well the week before against a disrupted Lions team who are now back to full strength. We’ve spoken about how we need to come together as a team and I don’t think that will be much of a problem for the final.”
The Sharks could find themselves with a psychological edge, having put 50 points past an under -strength Lions two weeks ago.
“I think it will be in the back of the minds, certainly of the management I’d imagine, but they will be telling their players, ‘that was then.’ There are too many similar stories, the Sharks losing to Western Province in Cape Town just before the playoffs last year and we beat them in the final,” the coach explained.
“Go back to 1990, the same thing. The side that loses will remember it and come out hungry, hard and strong.”
