Hurricanes heartache will make Sharks more dangerous

Defeat is character-building and a great teacher, so they say, and Sharks wing Kobus van Wyk is warning that their heartbreaking last-minute loss to the Hurricanes last weekend has brought the team closer together and made them more determined and more dangerous.

The Sharks will be desperate to repeat their performances of the last two weeks in New Zealand when they take on the Bulls in a massive Super Rugby derby at Kings Park on Saturday, just to prove that the playoff stage is not out of reach just yet.

READ MORE: Super Rugby report card: It’s not so nice to look at…

“Four weeks away is always tough on the body and mind and we struggled in our first two games. But we stuck to our guns and now I think we’ve turned our season around. We were down in the gutter after getting nearly fifty points from the Rebels, but we went into a room, talked a bit and turned things around. Now that we are back home, we are ready to go again.

“It’s always tough losing in the last two minutes like we did last weekend, but we learnt a lot from it and can only grow. We want to give it a full go because we think we can go all the way to the quarterfinals. We’ve definitely set new goals, we want to finish top of the South African Conference and have a home quarterfinal,” Van Wyk said.

The former Stormers regular is also wary of the Bulls, however, and says there is a similarity in their styles of play.

“We have similar styles, both teams don’t want to kick all the time and the backline and forwards want to express themselves. The Bulls are playing very well, they throw the ball out wide, they have flair, it’s a new-look team and we expect anything from them. But we’ve also got the guys and the flair to throw the ball around and we look forward to playing that way again.

“The Bulls have also used that little flick-on ball to get their big runners into space, which makes their backline’s life much easier. They’ve got the understanding of whether to grasp the ball or tip it on,” Van Wyk said.

Van Wyk was used off the bench in the Sharks’ last three games and with things clicking into place over the last fortnight, coach Robert du Preez is probably loath to make changes to what has been working.

For more sport your way, follow The Citizen on Facebook and Twitter.