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“There is definitely something happening here,” admits assistant coach Grant Bashford. “We've scored 36 tries in the competition and we don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves but we know that if we keep working – working on the things we're getting wrong with what's going right - we have more chance of being clinical. So we are very happy with where we are, but we don't think we're the complete article yet.”
Against the only side who beat them – in Round 1 – Griquas suffered a 48-30 defeat to The Sharks last Friday night, conceding five tries in the process against the team with the best attack in the competition. There were a few missed opportunities as well, but, says Bashford, they're getting that right and it's a feature of their play that will occasionally open up opportunities for the opposition.
“With the way we are playing, there are a lot of passes being made and a few being missed, so there was a bit of frustration with missed opportunities against Griquas, but there was a whole lot of good rugby as well. That's the challenge – to get accurate for longer periods of time.
“With our style of rugby, it doesn't matter who we play, if we get it right we have a good chance of winning and if we get it really right, then winning well. I think with the number of tries we've scored, it's proved that. We certainly don't want to change the way we play, but I think it's the balance of how we play the kicking game, the running game, the passing game, the short running game. When you get all of that right, it becomes difficult to defend against and that's what we are after.”
After conceding just one try in 160 minutes and then four against Griquas, he explains that it is not a particularly worrying scenario, and not something they can't fix. “Our tackle percentage against Griquas was 94% and we only missed 5 tackles. It was unforced errors and turn-overs that cost us the tries. We're got hurt on defence but more through mistakes on our own attack, that we turned ball over and the next minute we're scrambling and we're under our poles. So it's really about tidying things up and being more accurate in certain areas – that would prevent more tries being conceded. Remember that Griquas only scored one try through their own play.”
This Saturday, The Sharks are up against the old foe, the Blue Bulls who are coming off a shock loss and under some pressure, will be a tough prospect as always in Pretoria. The Sharks do, however, boast a very good record at Loftus and given the momentum they have built up and the fact that there is never any shortage of motivation when playing the Blue Bulls, an exciting, but physical battle is expected.
Then, of course, is the small matter of maintaining their hold at the top of the log which again provides plenty of motivation to come away with a good result.
“Whenever we go up there, the two teams tend to bring out the best in each other, so we aren't too fussed about what happened last weekend [when they lost 22-21 to the Pumas in Nelspruit] we know that when we go up there, it is always a difficult one and we've had a fair amount of success playing up there, so we are just going to work really hard, continue with what we're doing at training.
“We know that if we go up there and we play well, there is a very good chance we'll get the result we're after. The challenge once again is to get our game going and make sure we can stop the challenge that they bring. We know how they will play – we've been playing them for a long time – and sometimes it's easier talking about it than doing it so it's about making sure we are physically up for it on the day and stop what they throw at us.
With six 4-try bonus points from eight matches, The Sharks are leading the way and that's thanks to a positive outlook and the attacking prowess of the team. “The mindset of the group is fantastic and everyone is looking for opportunities to hurt the opposition on the scoreboard,” explains Bashford.
“We're playing more rugby in our half than possibly in the last few years but the new applications of the law help with that as well. Certainly the personnel we have at the moment are going really well. Charl McLeod and Pat Lambie are linking really well together and creating opportunities for those around them. Our back three is working nicely and if we give them the right ball, they will get over the line.
“We're just really happy with the way the guys are going as a group and how the style of rugby we are playing is creating opportunities.”
