Coach pleased as Sharks reach summit

Sharks coach Robert du Preez praised the efforts of his team, especially the forwards, in beating the Waratahs 23-15 in Sydney at the weekend, a triumph that lifted them back up to the top of the South African Conference.

The victory was particularly impressive as the Sharks had to lift themselves up from demoralising
successive home defeats to the Jaguares and the Reds, but it was made easier by the pack getting the upper hand up front.

“It’s really good to win our first game on tour, especially after the Reds game, where we created a lot of opportunities which we did not take, and then we let in two soft tries. It’s been the story of our season, but we had a very good week in Sydney and the boys were very keen tonight.

“They were outstanding today and the forwards were magnificent against a very good Waratahs team, we saw last week against the Rebels that they are very dangerous.

“We knew we had to get the upper hand up front, that was our intention and it was a fantastic win for us because the table is quite congested and it’s becoming a really tough contest for first place,” Du Preez said.

With the three-week tour having got off to a positive start and the campaign to top the conference seemingly back on track thanks to the Sharks’ first victory in Sydney in nine attempts dating back to 2000, Du Preez’s
troops now face the daunting task of travelling to Christchurch to take on the mighty Crusaders on Friday.

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