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Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer
Cape Town - Don’t bet your house on it, but if the Sharks can emulate the Loftus fire in their bellies then an upset Super Rugby finals series victory over the Crusaders in Nelson is possible on Saturday, say some legendary figures of Mr Price Kings Park.
Gary Teichmann was captain and Ian McIntosh the coach the last time the Sharks met the Cantabrians in a knockout format in the competition, back in 1998.
That was a semi-final in Christchurch, only a week after the sides had met in the last series of round-robin fixtures in Durban, and the visitors had won 32-20 to set up precious home advantage a week later by ending second on the table to the Sharks’ third.
But at least both sides had to face up to the long-haul travel bogey, and the Sharks threw the kitchen sink in a narrow 36-32 reverse, where they scored five tries to the Crusaders’ four but Andrew Mehrtens’s boot was a key tilting factor.
McIntosh feels the Sharks class of 2011 “have a shout” in Nelson.
“I predicted their win against the Bulls in Pretoria, and they’ve certainly got a chance of winning again – I’m not just saying that because of my desire to see South African teams do well, either,” he told Sport24.
“We got out of the blocks so well at Loftus: if we can do so again, making a big statement in the first 10 minutes or so and really getting into the game, then the chances get even better.
“The Sharks were genuinely focused last weekend, and when it comes to knockout rugby it often boils down to who is the more focused on the day.
“We’ve got the personnel to potentially conquer the Crusaders, however difficult it will be. It will be important not to give their backs room to move in.”
McIntosh said he was “comfortable” with the Sharks’ decision to slightly delay their departure for New Zealand to Tuesday.
“I think it was a smart move, and I always remember from my day that we tended to do well in our first game abroad. They must imagine this is exactly that: first match on tour.”
Meanwhile Teichmann, who would eventually be South Africa’s first Tri-Nations winning captain later in that 1998 season, was a little less confident, acknowledging that “a very big challenge” awaited the Sharks against “a quality side who’ve delivered consistently over the years”.
“But if the guys can match the commitment they showed on Saturday, then who knows? The Sharks have been so up-and-down this year, and basically scraped into the (finals series) after going through periods where they were lethargic and not putting in the sort of performances expected of them.
“I suppose there’s a case for saying that perhaps they’re peaking at the right time, but it’s hard, nevertheless, if you haven’t got home advantage this late in the competition.”
Teichmann said the Crusaders were still motivated by the desire to win the trophy for the people of earthquake-stricken Christchurch, which only added to the threat they posed.
“Then again, the Bulls also had big motivation on Saturday to win for the sake of departing players like Victor (Matfield) and Bakkies (Botha), and it never panned out ... that’s something for the Sharks to take spirit from.”
The former Bok captain said he was heartened by the team’s big improvement in midfield at Loftus, an area where they’d “had some issues”.
“I was delighted to see a guy like Meyer Bosman stepping up to the plate. I always fancied him as a good signing from the Cheetahs; maybe he just took a bit of time to settle.”
Cape Town - Don’t bet your house on it, but if the Sharks can emulate the Loftus fire in their bellies then an upset Super Rugby finals series victory over the Crusaders in Nelson is possible on Saturday, say some legendary figures of Mr Price Kings Park.
Gary Teichmann was captain and Ian McIntosh the coach the last time the Sharks met the Cantabrians in a knockout format in the competition, back in 1998.
That was a semi-final in Christchurch, only a week after the sides had met in the last series of round-robin fixtures in Durban, and the visitors had won 32-20 to set up precious home advantage a week later by ending second on the table to the Sharks’ third.
But at least both sides had to face up to the long-haul travel bogey, and the Sharks threw the kitchen sink in a narrow 36-32 reverse, where they scored five tries to the Crusaders’ four but Andrew Mehrtens’s boot was a key tilting factor.
McIntosh feels the Sharks class of 2011 “have a shout” in Nelson.
“I predicted their win against the Bulls in Pretoria, and they’ve certainly got a chance of winning again – I’m not just saying that because of my desire to see South African teams do well, either,” he told Sport24.
“We got out of the blocks so well at Loftus: if we can do so again, making a big statement in the first 10 minutes or so and really getting into the game, then the chances get even better.
“The Sharks were genuinely focused last weekend, and when it comes to knockout rugby it often boils down to who is the more focused on the day.
“We’ve got the personnel to potentially conquer the Crusaders, however difficult it will be. It will be important not to give their backs room to move in.”
McIntosh said he was “comfortable” with the Sharks’ decision to slightly delay their departure for New Zealand to Tuesday.
“I think it was a smart move, and I always remember from my day that we tended to do well in our first game abroad. They must imagine this is exactly that: first match on tour.”
Meanwhile Teichmann, who would eventually be South Africa’s first Tri-Nations winning captain later in that 1998 season, was a little less confident, acknowledging that “a very big challenge” awaited the Sharks against “a quality side who’ve delivered consistently over the years”.
“But if the guys can match the commitment they showed on Saturday, then who knows? The Sharks have been so up-and-down this year, and basically scraped into the (finals series) after going through periods where they were lethargic and not putting in the sort of performances expected of them.
“I suppose there’s a case for saying that perhaps they’re peaking at the right time, but it’s hard, nevertheless, if you haven’t got home advantage this late in the competition.”
Teichmann said the Crusaders were still motivated by the desire to win the trophy for the people of earthquake-stricken Christchurch, which only added to the threat they posed.
“Then again, the Bulls also had big motivation on Saturday to win for the sake of departing players like Victor (Matfield) and Bakkies (Botha), and it never panned out ... that’s something for the Sharks to take spirit from.”
The former Bok captain said he was heartened by the team’s big improvement in midfield at Loftus, an area where they’d “had some issues”.
“I was delighted to see a guy like Meyer Bosman stepping up to the plate. I always fancied him as a good signing from the Cheetahs; maybe he just took a bit of time to settle.”
