Confident Sharks will have to bring A-game for Lions – Am

Sharks captain Lukhanyo Am played his first match for six weeks in the victory over the Bulls last weekend and it was not just his own excellent display which pleased him.

As befits a highly-respected leader, Am was more keen to talk about the impressive team display by the Sharks and how it augurs well as they build for the closing stages of the Currie Cup. The thrilling win over the high-flying Bulls means the Sharks are now just five points behind the log-leaders with a game in hand.

The Sharks have struck top form at the right time for arguably their toughest stretch of matches: they visit the resurgent Lions at Ellis Park this Saturday before going to Bloemfontein to tackle the Free State Cheetahs.

“It was definitely an important result for us, we came back from the bye nice and refreshed and to get the result against the Bulls will be a massive confidence boost going forward,” Am said on Tuesday.

“Credit to the impact players who came off the bench and closed the game for us. We’ve been together as a team for a while now and playing for 80 minutes is still a work-on.

“But we managed to do that against the Bulls even though we had a dip early in the second half. We are starting to do the small things right, we are building momentum and slowly getting to where we want to be.

“We expect another exciting game against the Lions, who we know are a good side that likes to keep possession and move the ball around. They are 100% on the rise and, playing at Ellis Park, we definitely need to bring our A-game.”

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Michael Kumbirai, who stepped up admirably to replace Thomas du Toit at tighthead prop when the Springbok left the field with a rib cartilage injury, was one of those bench players who have waited months to make their impact and he said his Currie Cup debut for the Sharks will be a match he never forgets.

“To make my Currie Cup debut for the Sharks was a special moment and then to get the win, I’ll never forget it,” Kumbirai said.

“As a pack we stood up to the challenge, although it was a bit disappointing to concede that last scrum penalty, so we’re putting in the work this week to make sure we improve on that. If we can keep the same mentality we’ve had at home for the next three weeks, then I’m sure we can keep winning away as well.

“But the Lions will be just as hungry as us on the weekend, they will definitely be up for it and come at us with lots of tempo. We have to be prepared to work very hard and have good work-rate and they have a really good scrum, the set-piece is a strength of their’s. We’re definitely taking confidence out of the Bulls win, but this is a new week.”

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