White wants to finish well

Sharks’ director of Rugby, Jake White, admits he wants his side to finish at the top of the combined Super Rugby log, but is aware that ‘a lot can still happen’.

The Cell C Sharks currently occupy second place on the combined table with 45 points, three points behind leaders Waratahs and three ahead of third and fourth placed Crusaders and Hurricanes, both on 42 points.

White knows the Sharks’ fate is in their own hands, but with two games remaining against the Toyota Cheetahs this weekend and the Stormers next weekend, he wants to finish well ahead of the play-offs.

“I’ve spoken a lot about us holding our destiny in our own hands and that’s exactly true now still,’ said White.

“We have two more games and if we win them both, we’ll finish in the top two.

“There is always a lot of talk about finishing top of the log, but you still want to win the competition, so there is enough there for us to know we need to work hard to win the competition.

“At the start of the season, who would have picked the Highlanders and Crusaders to both be on 42 log points at this stage of the competition?

“It showed again, everyone thought that the Crusaders would win their game [against the Hurricanes last week], and not for any other reason than the Crusaders are usually – at this time of the season – playing really well.

“And the Crusaders still have to play the Highlanders and the Waratahs also have to play the Highlanders, so there are still so many more permutations that can take place in the final two weekends of the pool stages of this competition.

“A lot can still happen.”