Lions rematch is another chance to learn, says Everitt

Even though the British and Irish Lions are a ruthless, top-class outfit that inflicted plenty of pain on them in their midweek clash, Sharks coach Sean Everitt says his team is delighted to get a second chance against the tourists when they meet in a hastily arranged rematch at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

With the Bulls having to postpone their scheduled game against the Lions on Saturday due to Covid cases in their squad, and the Sharks having been in a bio-bubble in Johannesburg since last Friday, the KwaZulu-Natalians have agreed to step up again and ensure the Lions don’t miss out on valuable game-time before their Test series against the Springboks.

Having been hammered 54-7 at Ellis Park, the Sharks are hopeful of putting on a better show, with Everitt naming a vastly changed side thanks to having 36 players up on the Highveld due to Covid precautions.

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“There’s massive excitement in the team. We’ve only been playing against South African teams so it’s great to have fresh opposition, even though they are a world-class outfit,” Everitt said on Friday.

“It’s an opportunity for us to learn from our mistakes and rectify those. When we did the review, we saw the opportunities we created, but also the errors and soft moments that ruined those.

“It was surprising to see how we put the Lions through their paces. Normally it’s all doom and gloom when you take a 54-7 hiding, but there were actually lots of positives.

“I think we have a shot at redemption but we have to tidy up and cut down on the errors when we were in good positions.”

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Captain Phepsi Buthelezi retains his place at eighthman after he and scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse were two of the few players to show some fire in the first match against the Lions; together with the experienced Lionel Cronje, who has replaced the misfiring Curwin Bosch at flyhalf. They will provide the backbone of the Sharks’ effort.

The Sharks will certainly need strength of character to bounce back from their Ellis Park mauling, but they also need to lift their intensity.

“The Lions tour has taught us a lot. It has showed us where we are in terms of conditioning and we need to get our ball-in-play time higher to at least 35 minutes. That’s what it takes to withstand the intensity of a team like the Lions,” Everitt said.

“It make sense to give everyone an opportunity to have a taste of that. It will be a great learning experience of international rugby.

“You can see the intensity of the Lions, but until you’ve experienced it on the field and tried to match it, you don’t really understand it. It will make us better players.”