'I'm not getting ahead of myself with this performance': Pietersen addresses reality amid big win
REACTION: Sharks head coach JP Pietersen was a happy man following his team’s 45-0 whitewash of Munster, but addressed a sobering reality for his side in the United Rugby Championship.
Fans, pundits and bookies wouldn’t have predicted the winning margin at Kings Park on Saturday, but the Sharks showed what they’re capable of when they play to their potential following a poor start to their season.
And that’s exactly why Pietersen isn’t getting ahead of himself. Despite the huge win, the Sharks remain 11th on the table and will have to keep winning and hope for other results to go their way to reach the URC play-offs.
Pietersen is wary of his team’s situation and said that they’ll enjoy the result and park it before their next assignment against Cardiff on Friday.
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“I’m not getting ahead of myself with this performance… we’re still way off from the top eight.
“If you look at this performance, it doesn’t look like a team that should be at the bottom half of the table.
“We’ll celebrate tonight, but will have a hard review on Monday.
“We have Cardiff on Friday, which is a quick turnaround, but we still have a huge task to get into the top eight.”
Pietersen was, however, chuffed with the result, given the fact that the team suffered some disruptions in their preparation for the clash.
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“To win 45-0 against a very good Munster side who have a long history in the game and who are a proud side…I said to the boys that I will cherish this moment for the rest of my life.
“[Luan] Guiliomee started his first match, and Makazole [Mapimpi] played his 100th game… it’s just beautiful how things worked out on the same day.
“We had some disruptions on Thursday with Ethan [Hooker] withdrawing due to a family bereavement, and Siya [Kolisi] also suffered a calf strain on Thursday.
“So it was a challenging two nights for me on Thursday and Friday. I hardly slept, so to deliver a performance like that is something special.”
There were questions surrounding the Sharks’ defensive prowess after leaking six tries and 41 points in total against the Bulls three weeks ago.
When asked about the defensive effort on the night, Pietersen credited defence coach Joey Mongalo but also said that it’s about players being challenged and buying into the coaches’ plans.
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“If you compare this [match] to the Loftus [Versfeld] game, it’s like day and night.
“I challenge the players on effort, and some of them think their effort is good enough, which is not, if you look at the video footage.
“One must give credit to coach Joey [Mongalo], he puts several hours of effort in, and he is a good defence coach.
“The players can only show how good a coach is if they buy in and show effort.
“That’s why I challenge them before the games on how physical we can be and how much effort we put in.
“You could see the boys were out on their feet, and when the bench came on they also showed a lot of hunger to prove a point…such as not to concede a try, which is special in a URC game.”
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