Sharks coach reveals point of difference in Boland victory
REACTION: Sharks head coach Mike Vowles highlighted the point of difference in their bounce-back 19-12 Currie Cup win over Boland on Saturday.
The Sharks kept their campaign alive following the victory against Hawies Fourie’s side after their 28-36 away defeat to the Stormers XXIII last weekend.
Vowles highlighted the importance of the response and hailed the character of the team to hold on in a tight contest.
“This is a special group; we said for a while that we pride ourselves on connection and care.
“They always fight. We probably haven’t been on the right side of some stuff the past couple of weeks, but one thing we never had to ask for is more attitude and more fight; this group has got that in tons.
“It was important for the guys to get across the line just from a confidence point of view and understanding that we can actually do it.
“In terms of the competition, tonight was massive.”
He added: “I’m really proud of the group. We were really tested from a character point of view.
“To hold on like we did in the second half makes me very proud.
“We created several opportunities, and you can see the growth in the team in how they’re starting to show more confidence in the way we play and in their decision-making.
“It’s another positive step in the right direction. In a big week for the Sharks, it was great to get a positive result and give back to the KwaMashu crowd who were awesome tonight [Saturday].”
*Also read: Sharks hold off Boland in KwaMashu
The Sharks mentor highlighted what stood out for him in the match and how they’ll manage the week ahead of their Round Five clash against Griquas on Friday in Kimberley.
“It was definitely the resilience and fight that we showed. If you look at how we defended, there was physicality, effort and attitude, which was probably the defining part of the second half, just how we manned up physically and defended really well.
“That put them under pressure to keep us in the game.
“It [the win] keeps us alive. We knew how significant this week was in terms of the result. It sets us up in the competition now with Griquas away, but with two home games to try and build on.
“We kept our hopes alive, and we’re really determined to get into the top four and get into a semifinal.
“It’s a quick turnaround for us. We obviously got the Greatest Rivalry on Tuesday, so there are some moving parts for this week.
“We’ll prepare well, ice some of the sore bodies and head to Kimberley to fight for the full 80 [minutes].”
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