Sharks director of rugby Jake White has hinted that Pat Lambie may start at flyhalf for the Durban side’s Super Rugby semifinal away to the Crusaders this coming weekend.
The Sharks edged the Highlanders 31-27 at Kings Park on Saturday to secure passage to the last four and now face a tough trip to Christchurch. However, they defeated the Crusaders away from home earlier this year and White is optimistic about their chances of a repeat performance.
“The big thing that gives us confidence is that the two teams we would be likely to play to win the competition are both teams we have beaten this season,” said White.
“Ideally, we would have wanted to win comfortably, but that is not always possible at this stage of the competition. The way we look at it, we scored 31 points against the Highlanders and 34 against the Stormers the previous week, so that gives us momentum for the last couple of rounds.”
White added, “I am very proud of the way we came back to win this game. Many other teams might have relinquished it and faded after the Highlanders took the lead like they did.
“I thought in the last 20 minutes we played really well. It was some of our best rugby of the season during that period, and some of our best rugby in terms of linking our forwards and backs. As a whole, the bench definitely helped us. There’s no doubt when we get Charl [McLeod] and Pat [Lambie], two senior players, onto the field that their experience tells under pressure.”
Lambie has been out of rugby for four months with a torn bicep but he fitted seamlessly back into the team at a critical stage of the play-off match.
And the player’s big match temperament, which did come through in those last minutes against the Highlanders, could be crucial to the Sharks’ chances if White decides to pick him.
White spoke last week of the calmness that Lambie brings to those around him, and apparently it was added to the mix again in the last quarter at Kings Park, which was when the Sharks effectively won the match.
“Frans Steyn said to me himself afterwards that when Lambie and Charl came on they brought a sense of calmness,” said White.
