Mallett impressed by Sharks’ skills

Cape Town - Former Springbok coach Nick Mallett was impressed by the Sharks’ performance in their Super Rugby win over the Southern Kings at the weekend.

The men from Durban ran in six tries as they annihilated the Kings 43-8 in Port Elizabeth.

The Sharks were strong in pre-season, beating French clubs Toulon and Toulouse, and continued that trend at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Mallett, speaking in the SuperSport studio after the game, was particularly impressed by the Sharks' skill-set, comparing it to the teams from New Zealand.

“This was a very encouraging performance by the Sharks,” said Mallett. “They are playing much better rugby and have some very exciting youngsters. Some of the offloads were as good as any we saw from the New Zealand teams this weekend.

“The Sharks have started the season well and it's going to be a ding-dong battle between them and the Lions for top spot in the (Africa 2) pool.”

The Sharks’ next assignment is against the Jaguares in Durban this Saturday (19:20 kick-off).