While the rugby world was surprised at the Sharks’ 29-19 defeat of the Bulls in their United Rugby Championship clash at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday evening, backline coach Dave Williams said the players believed they could do the job.
The Durban outfit did almost the unthinkable as they produced a four-try bonus-point triumph in Pretoria.
“The Sharks as an organisation is a united front, and we have been building a squad that can qualify for playoffs and wins tournaments,” Williams, who was standing in for head coach John Plumtree, said in the post-match press conference.
“Being able to utilise the whole squad is important to the team’s success, and the group that travelled to Pretoria had a lot of belief.
“We knew there would be a lot of pressure from the Bulls, and it came. We had those (three) yellow cards, but the fight and persistence we showed in that period was amazing,” Williams continued.
“From the beginning of the season, our goal has been to make the playoffs and win the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final – and this game was part of our journey to that end.”
Williams said that the Sharks this season are continuing on an upward trend as the players and coaching staff grow more accustomed to what Plumtree expects of them.
Sensational Sharks Rugby 🤯@glenwoodhigh’s Jordan Hendrikse finishes an outrageous @sharksrugby score 🔥@vodacom #URC | #BULvSHA | #OriginRound #GrassrootsToGreatness pic.twitter.com/I5FExmdhgv
“We began (two years ago) with a new coaching staff, and it took a while to get the players used to things. We learned a lot in the first year, and we are building on that now.”
Williams paid tribute to the contribution of experienced Springbok centre Lukhanyo Am on the day.
“Lukhanyo is an outstanding leader, and coming back from injury, he made a significant difference. He asked the coaching staff if he could play 60 minutes, and we forgot to take him off, and he played the whole match. He did a great job.
“The game was a proper contest,” Williams added. “I never sat there thinking we were on top of, it, but the guys kept fighting, and the tries came at the end.
“This match strengthens our group in the long run because we had so many players missing, and it forced us to use the greater group, and we have seen that our depth can deliver.”
Points-Scorers
Bulls 19 – Tries: Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Johan Grobbelaar (2). Conversions: David Kriel (1), Boeta Chamberlain (1).
Sharks 29 – Tries: Ethan Hooker, Jordan Hendrikse, Tino Mavesere, Yaw Penxe. Conversions: Hendrikse (1), Siya Masuku (2). Penalty: Hendrikse (1).