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Durban - Sharks coach Robert du Preez was over the moon after his side’s 26-19 Currie Cup victory over the Blue Bulls at Kings Park.
“It was a good game and I think there are going to be some very sore bodies,” Du Preez told the Sharks’ official website.
“We are very happy with the win, the players were really courageous and it was a big improvement on the previous two weeks.”
The Bulls showed real intent in the competition with a 45-26 victory over Western Province earlier and a third win in their fourth match would have catapulted them to around the top of the log.
“This is a very good Bulls side which makes the victory all the more pleasing,” said Du Preez. “There were still a lot of mistakes in the game, but that’s going to happen and I’m very pleased with the young guys; Inny (Radebe) did well and Curwin (Bosch) was outstanding.”
Du Preez admitted that there was real character shown to counter what the Bulls threw at them, as well as how turnovers from his side managed to change the reflection of the game and give them the edge.
“The guys will know all about it after the physicality of this game, but that’s a sign of the character in this team. There were some fantastic turnovers which really helped our cause, and possibly even the difference between the two sides.
“However, we are not going to get ahead of ourselves, we will take it one game at a time, that’s our approach.”
The Sharks pack is proving to be a real heavy-weight as far as delivery goes, and week after week they provide a solid platform for the backs to do their thing.
“The pack was outstanding. We were battling to get some territory going at times and that’s something we’re going to need to work on. We need to play more in the opposition’s half and 22, but we were good when we had ball possession and when we put the phases together, we were very dangerous which is pleasing.
“In the first 15 minutes we were on the back foot and couldn’t get out of our half, or 22. But the young guys will learn; there is a lot of responsibility on the young shoulders of 10 and 15.”
In their next assignment, the Sharks tackle Western Province in Cape Town on Saturday (17:10 kick-off).
