Everitt's Sharks show true grit
SUPER RUGBY SPOTLIGHT: Sharks head coach Sean Everitt praised his team’s fighting spirit after ending their Australasian tour with a hard-fought 33-23 win over the Reds in Brisbane.
The team from Durban struggled to stamp their authority on the game for large periods and were down 8-11 at half-time after some sloppy play.
However, a strong finish in the final 10 minutes ensured that they head back home with an impressive three wins from their four games on tour.
“I was proud with how the guys came back in the second half,” Everitt told reporters after the match.
“We spoke about the arm-wrestle at half-time and we were just fortunate enough that we were in the game after giving away nine penalties in the first half.
“I thought it was a quite scrappy first half from both teams, but we pulled it together in the second half and I think we got the better of it.”
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Everitt believes his team has become a tighter unit after their four weeks on tour.
“For a new group, we can take a lot of confidence out of this tour. It was an opportunity for us to grow.
“We had a lot of changes since last year. The guys have really become tight with one another and we found a way to win tonight [Saturday].
“I know it wasn’t pretty, but the guys are working for each other and that’s what’s pleasing to see. Being away from home for four weeks is never an easy task especially two weeks in New Zealand and then two weeks here [Australia].
“The fourth week is always challenging because you wonder whether the players got one foot on the plane to go home and one foot on the rugby field. I think with the fight they showed tonight [Saturday] they can be proud of themselves,” said Everitt.
