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Cape Town - He has been around the block more times than most, but Sharks fullback Joe Pietersen remains a quiet man who prefers to let his performances do the talking.
At 31, the former Western Province and Free State man is one of the more experienced players in a Sharks side that is young and littered with new faces – including Pietersen’s.
Though they are in the top four on the Currie Cup log with three wins from five, it has been a less than impressive start for the Durbanites.
And in times of struggle, it is only natural to look for leadership. That is a responsibility that Pietersen takes seriously, but he is not one for big change room speeches.
“I don’t think I’m the biggest talker so I’ll try my best to play and then hopefully ignite a fire every now and then,” he said.
“Sometimes the boys just have to realise that if you play and just don’t focus too much on the other small things then things can go well.”
Pietersen joined the Sharks at the start of the season from the Cheetahs, where he played most of his rugby at flyhalf during Super Rugby.
That is something that he is open to doing at the Sharks, but for the moment Lionel Cronje seems set at No. 10 while Pietersen is enjoying the goal kicking duties.
“I’ve basically run everywhere and that was part of my decision to go to Bloemfontein knowing that I would be playing flyhalf predominantly, so whenever the chance comes I’ll grab it again,” said Pietersen.
The Sharks host Western Province on Saturday. Kick-off is at 17:05.
