With a spot in the Currie Cup Premier Division semifinals already assured, the Sharks are aiming to retain their position at the top of the log with a win over the Golden Lions on Saturday, according to coach Joey Mongalo.
Thanks in part to the strong bench the Sharks impressed during a 35-9 win over the struggling Griffons in their last outing.
“It was encouraging to get the five points in Welkom,” said Mongalo.
“That’s what we came for — to guarantee a semifinal spot, because we don’t want to go into those last two weeks fighting for the semis.
“It was a character-building win to come from behind.
“If the Griffons had scored after halftime, at 16-7 down we would have been in trouble because the crowd gets behind them.
“Now that we have a semifinal spot, we can focus on getting ourselves the best chance of finishing as high in the top four as possible.
“We must acknowledge that the Griffons played well rather than looking at our frustrations. Well done to them.
“The second half was a case of the same plans, just executed better, with more desire, fight and hunger. That and the effort shown was the difference between the two halves.
“It’s also to be acknowledged that it helps to bring on the type of bench we had in Welkom.”
Though they were made to work hard, and met some fierce resistance, particularly in the first half, the second half produced the goods on the scoresheet that rewarded the team with five log points that had them finishing the weekend in top spot.
“The importance of us getting a bonus point guarantees us a spot in the semifinals and that was a block that needed to be ticked.”
Mongalo said his team had now turned their focus to Saturday’s clash against a resurgent Lions team, who registered a 34-12 victory over Western Province on Friday.
“This is almost like a quarterfinal for them. They have to beat us to stay alive,” he said. “Everyone knows their character. When the chips are down, they probably play their best rugby, so we expect nothing short of their best performance of the year.
“But we are a team that also take pride in what we do.
“The last time we played them the result didn’t go well for us, so this game is going to be just as personal for us as it is for them.”
Meanwhile, the Sharks have signed their former player Coenie “Shrek” Oosthuizen. The 34-year-old Springbok prop rejoins the Durban franchise from English Premiership side Sale Sharks.
“Welcome back to the [Sharks] tank, Coenie Oosthuizen,” the Durban team tweeted on Wednesday.
Oosthuizen joined Manchester’s Sharks in 2019 from their KwaZulu-Natal namesake. Confirming the player’s departure from the English club, Sale Sharks director of rugby Alex Sanderson said “Shrek” was a colossal figure at the side where he made 94 appearances.
Oosthuizen, who has 30 Bok caps, was one of the players who helped Sale reach their first Premiership final in 17 years, where they lost 35-25 to Saracens on Saturday.
Weekend fixtures:
Friday: Griquas vs Western Province, Bulls vs Griffons.
Saturday: Pumas vs Cheetahs, Sharks vs Lions.
Log (all teams have played 12 matches): Sharks 43, Cheetahs 41, Pumas 36, Western Province 31, Golden Lions 31, Blue Bulls 31, Griquas 30, Griffons 9.
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