Sharks staying grounded
Speaking as his team started preparations for their opening Curie Cup math of the season, against the Pumas in Nelspruit on Friday, Gold said last Friday's 33-29 pre-season win over the Golden Lions in Pietermaritzburg was an "encouraging precursor" to their season.
However, he warned against reading too much into the pre-season match against last season beaten Currie Cup finalists.
"It doesn't count for very much," Gold said in an interview on the Sharks' website.
"I still think the Lions are the favourites and they scrummed us really well in the first half, so we have a lot of work to do there.
"We also lost a number of the collisions at the breakdown and that is a concern.
"I want to be positive, there were a lot of positives to come out of it but we have to keep our feet on the ground."
He felt that the most encouraging aspect of the last Friday's win was the intensity the team brought to the game.
"The intensity and enthusiasm was good, we never gave up," Gold said.
"At 12-21 down our heads could have dropped, but didn't and the team that came out in the second half made a big difference and put up a marker.
"I'm really happy with the all-round performance."
Gold admitted there is plenty room for improvement.
"Although we did make mistakes, we did try and play positive rugby," he said.
"It's our first pre-season game and we know we a lot of work still to do. But we knew we would be rusty and I'm pleased with the way they stuck in the fight, especially after being 21-12 down at half-time, and it is always good to come away with a win.
"The guys showed a lot of energy in the second half and I'm proud of them. We mixed up selection and there were a lot of young players involved. A number of them put up their hands in a big way."
