'We let ourselves down'
REACTION: Sharks’ play-off quest took another knock with the 15-44 defeat to the Cheetahs on Saturday.
At the back of a 10-20 loss to the Pumas, Sharks travelled to Bloemfontein with a mammoth task.
The side had to face the unbeaten Cheetahs and found themselves in trouble from the kick-off.
The Durban-based side were run ragged as the Cheetahs, steered by Ruan Pienaar, scored six tries.
In turn, Sharks only managed to score two tries courtesy of Cameron Wright and Dan Jooste.
While Boeta Chamberlain added conversion and penalty.
“The result was definitely not what we came here for,” Sharks captain Jeremy Ward said.
“We were let down by our slow start.
“However we composed ourselves well and got back into the game, but their try before halftime was the real kicker.”
The captain also pinpointed their one-on-one tackles as another downfall.
“We let ourselves down with our one-on-one tackles, the Cheetahs are a quality outfit and they’re always going to be tough to compete against when they have the ball.”
#⃣MATCH REPORT: The @CheetahsRugby reclaimed the top spot on @TheCurrieCup standings and a home #semifinal with a 44-15 rout of the @SharksRugby in #Bloemfontein on #Saturday #Rugby 🏉#RugbUnion🌐
🔗https://t.co/jP6y1JpC5q pic.twitter.com/98qaSD80lI— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) May 14, 2022
Despite the defeat, the Sharks remain third on the log with 24-points and three points clear of fourth place Griquas, who had a bye.
The Sharks’ two remaining fixtures are against struggling the Lions on June 4 in Durban followed by the trip to Cape Town to face the Western Province.
When asked about the Currie Cup playoffs campaign, Ward said: “We have a lot of work to do.
“It’s getting quite tight on the log now and we need to put in some shift and get into a knock-out position.”
*Meanwhile, the Sharks confirmed that Emile van Heerden has signed a three-year contract with the Union.
Van Heerden, who is the former WP and Springbok lock ock Fritz, started at lock for the Sharks against the Cheetahs. .
The 20-year-old is a proud product of Paarl Boys High, he represented WP at age-group level, before being signed by the Sharks, and he locked the Junior Springbok scrum last year with JJ van der Mescht at the World Rugby U20 Championship.
Additional Source: @SharksRugby
This young gun has had an impressive season and we are excited to see what the next 3 years has in store 🤙#OurSharksForever #BackOnTheDottedLine pic.twitter.com/K2xZkSVVAQ
— The Sharks (@SharksRugby) May 15, 2022
