Share

Kings coach 'proud' of narrow Sharks loss

Cape Town - Had they pulled it off, it would surely have been the upset of Super Rugby 2017 so far. 

The Kings came so close, but in the end they fell just short as they were edged 19-17 by the Sharks in Saturday's Super Rugby action. 

The Sharks were incredibly poor, but the Kings played their part too by putting in another improved display. 

The visitors could have stolen the match at the death, but flyhalf Lionel Cronje missed a difficult penalty just a couple of minutes from time. 

"I'm very proud of the boys' effort," coach Deon Davids said after the match.

"I think we made a huge step up in certain areas of our game.

"Defensively, we were very good in the first half and continued in the second half to stop the momentum of the Sharks.

"Our scrums were a bit under pressure but the guys recovered well and actually scrummed well throughout the game."

Davids said that, depsite the improved performance, there were still a number of areas that commanded attention. 

"We had some opportunities which we didn't capitalise on," he said.

"The our discipline. We conceded too many penalties and that kept the Sharks in the game and then also our tactical kicking wasn't as good as it can be. It allowed the Sharks to stay in our half and we lost a bit of control and territory by not playing in the right areas.

"We've got a lot of positives and we will just try to keep improving every week."

The Kings are next in action when they host the Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1473 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE