Cell C Sharks look to Pietersen
Cell C Sharks coach Gary Gold believes Joe Pietersen holds the key to beating Western Province this weekend.
The former Western Province and Cheetahs utility back has been operating at fullback for the first five rounds of the Absa Currie Cup.
The Sharks are yet to face the other "big" unions in the domestic tournament and Gold made a couple of changes in anticipation of a monumental clash with Western Province at Growthpoint Kings Park on Saturday.
Pietersen slots in at flyhalf in place of Lionel Cronje, who has pulled the strings at pivot as far back as the end of the Super Rugby season.
Gold said Pietersen was the right choice for a match he believes will need careful game management with the boot.
"It's a very interesting balance as a coach. You go in with a group of guys and you want to back them for a period of time and I feel that we did that. We weren't necessarily getting the results performance-wise so we had to make some changes," Gold explained.
"Joe played very well for the Cheetahs at flyhalf and we thought that we'd give him a go. Lionel has been very good for us at the end of Super Rugby and he played well here now and up until this date he's run well there. We thinking about one or two other plans and we think Joe can fulfill those."
Gold was fairly coy in terms of how Pietersen would manage the game but it seems the 31-year-old's experience was a deciding factor in his selection for what is crucial match at the midway point of the season.
"Obviously there are a few things we're looking to do slightly differently and we think Joe can do that with his experience. But I must stress that I think Lionel has been, by and large, very good for us and won us a lot of games towards the end of Super Rugby when we gelled as a pretty broken group with out injuries and losses," Gold explained.
"But Joe is slightly older and more experienced and has a good head on his shoulders at ten. With Cobus Reinach back, Joe there and Phillip van der Walt at eight, we think it's important that there is calmer leadership at the 8-9-10 axis."
The Sharks face Western Province at 17h05 on Saturday.