Sharks boss Everitt wary of Griquas threat

Sharks coach Sean Everitt has lauded Griquas and their coach Scott Mathie ahead of the teams’ meeting in a Currie Cup semi-final in Durban on Saturday.

The Sharks finished the round-robin stage of the competition in second place, while Griquas were third.

The men from Kimberley have been one of the big surprise packages in 2021, beating the likes of the Lions, Western Province and Sharks.

ALSO READ: Bulls in ‘good place’ ahead of showdown with WP – Botha

“They’ve done exceptionally well under Scott Mathie to get into the semi-finals,” said Everitt on Thursday.

“They’ve been consistent throughout the competition, week-in and week-out and they’ve rolled over the big boys on a couple of occasions. They’ve beaten the Lions, Western Province as well as us so we know this is a big challenge.”

While Everitt warned that Griquas pose a massive threat, he backs his team to achieve the necessary result if they perform to their ability.

“The last time they came to Durban, they had a good outing against us and won that game 37-30, so we are going to have to prepare well.

“But, if we stick to the plan and we play according to our potential, we should be in the final.”

In his efforts to maintain continuity, Everitt has made just two changes to last week’s side, one among the forwards and the other in the backline, with Dylan Richardson returning for James Venter on the side of the scrum and Marius Louw taking over from Murray Koster at inside centre.

Sharks: Curwin Bosch, Yaw Penxe, Werner Kok, Marius Louw, Thaakir Abrahams, Lionel Cronje, Sanele Nohamba,Phepsi Buthelezi (capt), Henco Venter, Dylan Richardson, Gerbrandt Grobler, Le Roux Roets, Khutha Mchunu, Kerron van Vuuren, Ntuthuko Mchunu. Bench: Dan Jooste, Khwezi Mona, Lourens Adriaanse, Reniel Hugo, Thembelani Bholi, Cameron Wright, Jeremy Ward, Anthony Volmink