Sharks switch focus to URC after Galway disarray
The Sharks will look to put the disappointment of their early exit from Europe behind them, as they shift their attention to a desperate bid to qualify for the United Rugby Championship play-offs.
Connacht secured their spot in the Challenge Cup quarterfinals with an impressive second-half performance against the Sharks.
The Irish saw off the Sharks 29-12 at the Sportsground on Friday.
* Read the match report HERE!
It was a tightly contested first half in Galway, with four Jean Smith penalties giving the visitors a 12-7 half-time lead.
However, the Irish province stepped things up in the second period.
The Sharks now have to win their remaining URC games if they hope to remain in the hunt for any silverware.
Failure to qualify for the URC play-offs would again see them relegated to Europe’s second-tier Challenge Cup.
An obviously ‘disappointed’ Sharks coach, JP Pietersen, said the team’s failure to maintain their intensity in the second half was at the heart of the loss.
“We set ourselves up with a good first half,” Pietersen said of a 12-7 half-time lead, courtesy of four Jean Smith penalties.
“We dominated territory and possession, and we had confidence at the half-time break.”
* (Article continues below ….)
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He said a ‘lack of concentration’ and ‘discipline’ let the visitors down in the second half.
“We gave them penalties, which they kicked into the corners and put us under pressure,” he said, even though the Sharks conceded just seven penalties to Connacht’s nine.
“They took their opportunities when they entered our 22-metre area.
“At half-time, we felt we were just one score shy going into the second half.”
The soft-spoken and composed coach said they do have ‘some positives’ to take in their final dash for a URC play-off spot.
“We have two games up here in the Northern Hemisphere,” he said of the encounters with Ospreys (April 18) and Edinburgh (April 24), before home games against Benetton (May 9) and Zebre (May 16).
“We can look at how we played the game in the first half, in these weather and conditions,” he said of their next two matches, after a week-long break.
He said the other positive is the ‘fight’ the team showed in the final quarter, after falling behind (26-12).
“We could so easily have lost by 50 points, he said of a solitary penalty against his team in the closing stages.
“We must put a collective 80-minute performance together,” Pietersen said, adding: “All we are asking [from the players] is consistency in performance.
“We have been very up and down [inconsistent].
“We will reassess when we return home. We will assess the injuries.
“We will go all out in the last four [URC] matches.
“We will look to get 20 points from those four games to set us up for a potential top eight finish in the URC.”
@JanDKrugby
@rugby365com
