'This should be the standard': Sharks show some bite in Edinburgh
REACTION: Sharks Director of Rugby Neil Powell praised his team’s fighting spirit after their 22-19 victory over Edinburgh in the United Rugby Championship on Saturday.
It was an enthralling gripping game from start to finish, but the visitors’ determination on defence, despite a late yellow card, saw them through for the vital victory.
The first half was thrilling with the Sharks scoring two converted tries for a 14-0 lead before Edinburgh fought back strongly with three back-to-back tries to take a 19-14 lead. The second half was also a thriller with the Sharks scoring the only try in the half, but a penalty goal by flyhalf Curwin Bosch proved to be the difference on the scoreboard in the end.
“As a coaching team and as a management team we are so proud of the boys for the effort, the fight and the character they showed in this game,” said Powell.
“I know it was tough in those last few minutes but I think for the whole 80 minutes they showed a lot of fight.
“We asked for them to be physical and dominant and I think they did exactly that in this game and they did it for the whole 80 minutes.”
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#ICYMI: The Sharks moved into the top eight in the United Rugby Championship standings after a thrilling win over Edinburgh 👇#URC #Edinburgh #Sharks #EDIvSHA https://t.co/mg4M839zIX
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Powell said Edinburgh tried to make life difficult for his team with their unstructured style of play.
“It was a good start for us. We defended well, we stayed in structure and we played the game in the right areas of the field and then they just played off our mistakes and they almost made the game unstructured.
“It obviously suited their way of play and they scored those three tries just before half-time.
“The big message to the boys was just to get back into our structures and our systems and not get caught up with how they play the game.
“I think we still had a few opportunities to actually take the game away from them in the first half and second half, but I think overall it’s a very good win for us.
“It’s a massive win for us and we will definitely take a lot of confidence and momentum out of this one.
“We will enjoy this win and fly back to South Africa and start our preparations for the Stormers game.”
Powell added: “Everybody is committed to where we want to go this season and I think that commitment was shown on the field, especially in defence so it was a great effort.
“For us, this should become the standard for the Sharks and how we play and how we pitch up for every single game.”
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