Sharks brimming with confidence

 

It is not only the superstar stalwarts who will be feeling proud of their performance, but some of the fringe players will also be holding their heads high.

 

Sharks Director of Rugby Jake White's faith in his bench was repayed to him tenfold in the Crusaders match.

 

A brand new front row came on as well as young flyhalf Tim Swiel to swing the match for the Sharks.

 

These reserves played a massive role in the victory, none more so than Kyle Cooper, who has been playing in captain Bismark du Plessis' shadow, scoring the match winning try.

 

The replacement of the front row saw the Sharks swap out 314 caps for a meager 58 and yet Cooper, Dale Chadwick and Lourens Adriaanse fronted up manfully in a seven-man scrum.

 

"One thing that is really difficult when you have a good group of players is to keep everybody happy," the Sharks boss said.

 

"There is competition for places and people want to feel part of the team.

 

“What we got out of this weekend was that players who least expected to be involved in a big game like that were not only involved, but made a massive contribution and played an active role in getting the result. 

 

"There has been a massive boost in our squad by everyone feeling like they are contributing towards the success of the campaign.”

 

With one more game left on the Sharks tour, against the Blues, White could not be happier with the belief his team has heading into the business end of the competition.

 

"There was a lot of talk before we left about how hard it is to tour and how South African sides have toured badly," White added.

 

"There were questions asked why South African sides are not winning away from home.

 

"So to come over and beat the Crusaders after such a drought of wins against them in Christchurch is massive.

 

“We are also obviously mindful of the fact that we can’t jump the gun. We still have two more games before the June recess and we need to keep the momentum going.”

 

The Sharks' depth has been tested through-out the tournament but White has been shown that his fringe players have the heart to play like champions.

 

The Sharks came out of the monumental defensive effort with no injury concerns – however there is a concern over Jean Deysel who has had a hearing over his red card.

 

“We’re very lucky, for all that time the 14 players defended, we got away fine with just Jean Deysel at a hearing, everyone else is available for selection.”

 

Deysel's hearing was concluded after two hours of deliberation on Tuesday but the judicial officer has said he would hand down his judgment in the next 24 hours after "giving due consideration to the facts and evidence presented during the hearing".