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Cape Town - Former Springbok coach Nick Mallett was disappointed at the error rate in the Sharks v Stormers clash in Durban at the weekend.
The Sharks won 24-17, having trailed 7-3 at half-time.
But the game will be more remembered for the vast number of mistakes from both sides.
The first half, especially, was not easy on the eye and Mallett did not hold back on his assessment in the SuperSport studio on Saturday.
“I think it was very frenetic early on and guys were pushing passes when they couldn’t see the support runner. The error rate in this game was dreadful, it really was. There were so many handling errors, poor decision-making and that first half was not pleasant to watch. It was two teams who, quite frankly, are desperate for the win but they don’t concern themselves with how they do it, they just want to win,” Mallett said.
A positive from the game was the improvement shown from both sides in the second half, Mallett noted.
“The second half was perhaps a little bit slower in terms of line speed and guys had more time to get passes away. We saw some very good tries in that second half and it was a very exciting finish,” Mallett said.
He added: “The win was probably deserved by the Sharks, given that try from Sbu Nkosi was disallowed for a knock-on. But the Stormers had three really good opportunities to try and get a draw. It was a far better second half, that is all we can say...”
