Sharks on dirt road to success

 

The Sharks have been on the high road for a large portion of the season, sitting on top of the South African conference and even the over all log.

 

Recently however, the Sharks have hit a few speed-bumps in their quest to secure Super Rugby silverware for the first time.

 

Two losses at home against the Highlanders and Stormers have bumped the Sharks campaign down onto the low road, as well as down to third place.

 

However, as Jake White has admitted, it was the recent loss to the Cheetahs that has really pushed the Sharks down onto the dirt road.

 

“We’ve had the high road and the low road, now we’re on the dirt road!" White said on the Sharks website

 

"In saying that, it’s not all doom and gloom. 

 

"The break came, we’ve had a disjointed couple of weeks, lost a few players. 

 

"We had to rotate players because of the fact that we could have had a tough road in – which could still be the case.” 

 

The defeat at the hands of a fired up Cheetahs side – who arguably played their best match of the season in Bloemfontein – hurt, both in terms of pride and log position.

 

A win would have kept them in second place, but they are now tied with the Crusaders.

 

The focus now is been putting the Cheetahs’ loss behind them and concentrating on the task at hand.

 

“The main thing is that we’re not making excuses. There are no excuses," White continued.

 

"It’s easy to find excuses and we as a group know that we didn’t play as well as we can, we were a bit soft at times and now we need to get it right.

 

As matters stand, the  Sharks and Crusaders are locked in a battle for second spot on the log.

 

The Waratahs have an unassailable lead going into the last round, and the outcome of their game against the Reds will have no bearing on the log – they’re seven points clear.

 

The Sharks and Crusaders are both on 46 points, with the New Zealanders enjoying an eight-point points’ differential advantage over the Durban side.

 

White played some of his returning Boks off the bench against the Cheetahs on Saturday as he rotated the squad in an attempt to give them some form of rest following a gruelling three month period of non-stop rugby.

 

He now believes they are now ready to tackle the final month of the competition.

 

“I think they have had enough rest, I gave them a week off, they went home for two days, and they’re all fired up and want to be a part of it now and that’s a good sign,” the coach added.

 

The Springboks have been managed over the last two weeks and injured players are being filtered back into the team, with the fate of Pat Lambie, Paul Jordaan and Beast Mtawarira all expected on Tuesday.

 

“They are went for scans and I’m waiting for the yay or nay from the specialists,” White confirmed. 

 

“Positively, they all look like they’re recovering, it’s just a question of whether they’ve recovered enough to start playing. 

 

"If they are passed fit, they will be considered for selection for this weekend’s match against the Stormers.”