Sharks coach struggles to find 'highlights' after comeback win
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Sharks coach Joey Mongalo found it very challenging to identify the positives after his team’s 24-22 win over Pumas in Nelspruit.
The men from Durban appear to be well on their way to defeat despite having a numeral advantage for the majority of the match due to a red card to Pumas prop Njabulo Gumede in the 28th minute.
They were down 12 points with less than five minutes on the clock.
However, they rallied and scored two late tries from Dylan Richardson and Dian Bleuler, while Nevaldo Fleurs kicked an 81st-minute conversion to give them the win this past Friday.
The win means the Sharks are now third on the Currie Cup table with 33 points – two points behind second-placed Pumas and five points clear of fourth-placed Western Province.
Despite being pleased with the points, Sharks coach Joey Mongalo was far from impressed with his team’s performance.
“The fight in the last 20 minutes is the highlight of the game.” Mongalo said, adding: “Outside of that there isn’t much.
“We said in the changing room that we have high standards, so we are disappointed performance-wise but thankful for the risks and the character to fight.
“On the rugby side, we have so much work to do.
“We have to find creative ways to impose ourselves against our future opponents.”
The Sharks face another stern test next week when they take on table-topping Cheetahs.
The Bloemfontein side will be eager to bounce back following their shock defeat to the Lions on Saturday.
The last time the Sharks and Cheetahs faced each other, the Durban side recorded a 24-17 win in Bloemfontein, even more motivation for Hawies Fourie side believes Mongalo.
“We face the Free State on Friday, they’re a very good rugby team, the log-leaders,” Mongalo said.
“They will be hurting from the last time we played them so we are expecting no favours from them.”
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