Sharks desperate to hang on to the ball against Lions

Turnovers spread through the Sharks’ performance like the bubonic plague last weekend, and if there was one area where the Lions excelled in their opening Rainbow Cup fixture, it was the breakdowns.

So not turning over possession is going to be the key focus of the KwaZulu-Natal side as they host the Gautengers at Kings Park at 4pm on Saturday.

Sharks coach Sean Everitt produced the astounding figure of 29 turnovers that his team conceded against the Stormers in Cape Town, and given that they enjoy playing a fluent game based on momentum, that extent of profligacy is clearly untenable for them.

And the Lions made life very difficult for the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld, throwing everything at the rucks and cleaning up in that department.

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“The biggest factor is going to be the number of turnovers conceded so we’ve looked to tighten up there,” Everitt said this week.

“We’ve worked hard at our breakdown because what we did last weekend is not going to be good enough against the Lions, who have two guys going very hard on the ball.

“The Lions contended at Loftus until the 70th minute and they are tough to play against. They come hard at the breakdown so it’s difficult to get continuity.”

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While the Lions loose trio of MJ Pelser, Vincent Tshituka and Franck Horne combined well to obstruct much of what the Bulls were trying to do in their previous clash, the Sharks arguably play with more flair and, if they sort out their breakdown work, they could be harder to stop.

They scored a couple of fantastic tries against the Stormers, with hat-trick scoring lock Reniel Hugo showing the sort of mobility and handling skills that Everitt is looking for from the forwards.

“We want to speed the game up, so Reniel scoring one of his tries from a quick tap was good game awareness,” Everitt said.

“But the Lions also have young backs full of energy and Wandisile Simelane is a great player who was a thorn in our side in the Preparation Series match.

“So we need to be on top of our game and keep our foot on the pedal.”