It was John Smit’s birthday this week. I hope he celebrated it with an ice-cold Corolla... er, I mean ice-cold Corona. Anything, that is, that was less icy than when Smit and Marco Masotti, the de facto owner of the Sharks, had a little disagreement about a missing Ferrari gearbox.
Whether it was better to have a supercar with no way to control it or an old Toyota Corolla that won’t stop going was pretty much the gist of the banter and while Masotti hit reverse (although it certainly wasn’t in a Kings Park-built, gearbox-less Ferrari) on social media after taking on a well loved and respected Springbok, Smit’s point stands.
The Sharks have become the Manchester United of rugby, signing players of name and stature with grand announcements and fireworks. RugbyPass reported in February that the signing of André Esterhuizen and Trevor Nyakane was a “sensational double deal” for next season. Also joining next season are Jordan Hendrikse and Emmanuel Tshituka, whose older brothers are already in Durban.
Good signings all, but to what end and avail if they are to become part of a squad that is seemingly at odds with itself, a collection of players still finding the connections to become a cohesive team. The Sharks are packed with legends, potential superstars, game breakers and move makers, but they need a good old-fashioned four-speed automatic gearbox, they need a diff lock to get all the wheels, all these big names and Springboks, moving together.
In the depths of Kings Park, you can be sure, the coaching staff will use the gearbox analogy in their planning and team talks. It may become a light bulb moment for the Sharks — every team, every athlete needs one, a spark when things start to work.
In a restaurant in Parkhurst some years ago, Chris Froome, the four-time Tour de France winner, told me his moment was at the 2011 Vuelta a Espana, where he finished second, although he was later awarded the win when the then winner, Juan José Cobo, had his title stripped from him in 2019 for doping.
For Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp, the turning point for his side this season came in December’s goalless draw with Manchester United. “That was the game when our full counter‑press mentality kicked in again,” he said this week. “It was something that I was asking for before that game. I said everything is good so far, we are new together and we have to find a way. You cannot ask for counter-press when you play with 10 men or nine men. But before United we spoke specifically about that, and that is what we asked ourselves since then.
“You cannot just take the ball and fire direct at goal, but if you win it back high up the pitch then it is pretty likely you will find a finish. That, for me, is definitely the explanation and since then, for me, the season changed into the way we wanted to play.”
Liverpool had 68% possession in that match, took 34 shots as opposed to United’s six, eight of those on target. For Arsenal, the moment of belief that they can win the title was reinforced after the 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield, beating them 3-1 in the return fixture at home and then the battling away draw against Manchester City last Sunday.
“Was it a psychologically important result at City on Sunday? Yes, definitely. It’s not easy to play against City away and also Liverpool away. It shows that Arsenal are ready to fight for it,” said their Ukrainian defender Oleksandr Zinchenko on Wednesday night after they won at Luton to go back to the top of the league.
Over at United, the new shareholder and head of football operations, Jim Ratcliff, said they will not be splashing the cash on big-name players.
“They have done that, if you look at the last 10 years, they have spent a lot of money on a couple of great players. The first thing we need to do is get the right people in the right boxes who are managing and organising the club. And make sure we get recruitment right, it is such a vital part of football today.”
Ratcliff would like United to show the same patience that Arsenal did with Mikel Arteta, when he was finding his way and his voice.
The Sharks need that patience now. The rush to sign names and established talent paints over the flaws and cracks created by the comfort zone the Sharks have fallen into. There is more rut than ruck at Kings Park.
They need a moment, a big bang. Perhaps the last two wins over Ulster and Edinburgh will be the spark. Maybe, but, then again, it may be a team taking a long hard look at itself and asking, “where is our gearbox”?
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