Pietersen hails Hendrikse's game-changing impact
REACTION: Sharks replacement scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse was the star of the show in their 21-12 victory over the Bulls, and coach JP Pietersen gave a special shoutout to the No.9 after the game.
Hendrikse entered the fray in the 67th minute, replacing Grant Williams, and completely turned the game on its head. He brought new energy to the game that was vitally needed by the Sharks.
Henrikse made two vital steals for the Sharks; He put them on the front foot, and this resulted in two more tries that won the game for the Durbanites.
Since falling out of favour with the Springbok selectors, this was by far Hendrikse’s best outing in a long time.
And new Sharks coach Pietersen agreed.
“A lot was going through my mind in those last 20 minutes. I can’t really recall everything.
“That’s what you want from your bench, you could see the energy and the impact.
“I must give a massive shoutout to Jaden. I think he made four or five big moments in the game that really changed it for us.”
There is no denying that the Bulls dominated most aspects of the game, especially in the scrums, where powerhouse Springbok prop Wilco Louw had it all his way.
“They put us under pressure; that is part of the game,” the Sharks coach commented.
“We could’ve done a bit better with winning the ball in the air. There is always something to work on.
“But we knew that’s what the Bulls would bring. They’re a very good team with the set-piece, especially at scrum time.
“That’s something we’ll keep working on, but the important thing for us was how we stayed in the fight.
“For us to score three tries in those conditions is massive. We still wanted to attack and move the ball, and I loved the bravery to keep giving it a go.”
