VIDEO: 'World-class' Fassi turned the game on its head
Sharks coach Sean Everitt described his team’s bonus-point (37-20) win over the Scarlets at the weekend as “massive” in terms of their play-off prospects.
The Sharks now face the “unpredictable” Italian outfit Zebre next Saturday, knowing that if they dominate them physically they have a good chance of adding more valuable points on the standings and taking another step towards a place in the play-offs and a spot in Europe next season.
“We would like to stay ahead of the pack and as long as we get five points every week, we will stay at the top of the South African conference,” he said.
The coach admitted they had their ‘moments’ in the game against Scarlets when they were playing some decent rugby, while he was also pleased with the team’s set-piece dominance in the final quarter.
Everitt admitted that the Welsh visitors handled the tricky conditions better than the home team – executing their kicking game better than the Sharks.
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“Our kick accuracy wasn’t very good and it put us under pressure, particularly in the first 20 minutes,” he told @rugby365com, adding: “In the second half we made it easier for ourselves with an improved kicking game.”
He spoke about the well-known challenge of dealing with the humid and muggy conditions in Durban this time of the year.
The coach touched on the moments of individual brilliance that turned the game – such as fullback Aphelele Fassi’s 55th-minute try, which tied the scores up at 13-all after the visitors had been leading for most of the first hour.
Everitt described the Springbok’s performance as a “world-class” effort.
“He is playing great rugby at the moment and he turned the game on its head when [scrumhalf] Jaden [Hendrikse] put that grubber through for him.
“We have to get our game management right,” he said, adding: “To play between the two 10-metre lines in Durban is not a good idea.
“We didn’t manage the game well in those areas.”
He admitted against a ‘in-your-face’ defence like the Scarlets, who often managed to have 15 players on their feet, variation on attack could be an option.
Jaden Hendrikse.
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“They [often] had 13 players in the frontline and two in the back, covering the 50-22 kick.
“[In that situation] the middle of the field was open. The place where Jaden put that grubber through was exactly the space that was on.
“We will help our game drivers identify where the space is.
“However, what we mustn’t do is get bored in what we are good at.
“Sometimes we were maybe just a little bit over-anxious on attack.”
The coach added that there are no major injury concerns, even though prop Retshegofaditswe Nché left the field in the second half with a leg injury.
“It is too early to tell,” he said, adding that they will know more later in the week.
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