Sharks' dual playmaker tactic turns heads
REACTION: The Sharks’ dual playmaker tactic with Curwin Bosch and Manie Libbok could grow into a lethal weapon as the South African domestic season progresses.
In their opening match of Super Rugby Unlocked against the Lions, which the Sharks edged 19-16, the duo showed glimpses of an exciting combination in what was a largely scrappy match.
“Our 10 [Bosch] and 15 [Libbok] worked in tandem in the backfield. When one guy makes contact, it frees the other guy to be the first receiver,” said Sharks coach Sean Everitt.
“We know that Manie is a really good ball player and I thought he was really good in what was a much-improved performance than what he had against the Bulls and that is what we are all about.
“We want to grow from week to week. I thought they both played well. Curwin’s kicking game was outstanding and Manie was really dangerous on the attack.
“Having two flyhalves at the back actually worked quite well.”
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The Sharks dominated the first half against the Lions before being put under pressure for most of the second half. Everitt believes his team’s collapse is their own doing.
“We asked the players for a fast start. That was our theme this week especially after the poor start we had against the Bulls,” Everitt explained.
“We are happy with the way we started. We could have probably scored one or two more tries in those first 20 minutes. It was not the case and then from there we made quite a few mistakes and our discipline let us down.
“It was pretty much our own demise. We are performance-driven and we will praise performance.
“It just shows you what can happen when a team works for each other and shows a tremendous amount of effort even though you did not play as well as you would have liked.”
