Sharks defence paying off – Lambie
Cell C Sharks captain Pat Lambie believes his teammates are finally making good use of their defensive system.
Having been reinstated as captain of the side this week upon his return to the starting lineup, Lambie will be at the centre of his side’s effort in Buenos Aires this weekend. It’s a tough ask going up against the Jaguares in their own backyard but the Sharks skipper believes his side have turned a corner this season.
Last weekend the Sharks dismantled a dangerous Hurricanes outfit in front of the Kings Park faithful. The win was as a result of yet another dogged defensive effort – this time around the Sharks managed to turn their brutish defence into points.
“One of the focus points over the last couple of weeks has been rewarding ourselves for the good defence we’ve shown so far this year. We create those turnovers and haven’t capitalised on them. When we absorb all the pressure and force the opposition make mistakes we haven’t punished them for that,” Lambie said earlier this week.
“I think we did extremely well on the weekend. From defending on our own try line, we got a turnover and moved the ball into space and all of a sudden we were looking after the ball deep inside their half. That made a big difference against the Hurricanes.”
What also helped were improvements in accuracy. The Sharks made fewer errors with ball in hand on attack and it showed as they were able to build up phases and pressure.
“I think a bit of patience helped as well, just switching on when those turnovers come, identifying where the space is and having the ability to get it there without coughing it up or turning it over straight away again and letting the opposition off the hook,” Lambie said.
On a personal note, Lambie returned to the side after ten weeks on the sidelines. By all accounts, he played well off the bench and it’s not surprising that director of rugby Gary Gold has thrust him back into the starting lineup.
The skipper’s return means Garth April will have to play a back-up roll which is unfortunate seeing how well he played in Lambie’s absence. Gold was just happy to have a number of quality players to pick.
“Pat is an incumbent Springbok with a huge amount of experience and he is the current captain so it’s a wonderful situation to have. But it’s a headache to see a young guy in such a vein of form who is enjoying his rugby then having to leave him out,” Gold said.
“You just hope he stays positive. But Willie le Roux has also played a lot of rugby and Garth can cover us at fullback as well. It’s a wonderful situation to have a guy like Pat back, it also gives you a sense of security with Pat, Garth and Joe Pietersen that you’ve got real strength in depth – guys that can all deliver.”
Looking ahead to their clash with the Argentinian outfit, Lambie expects a tough outing.
“They’ve had a tough start in Super Rugby, they’ve had a number of narrow losses but they’re coming off a very strong performance against Kings having put on 70 points or so. They’re also coming off a bye week so they will be fresh,” Lambie said.
"Having played there before, it’s a very hostile environment. They will have a point to prove considering we are in the same pool s we’re expecting a high-tempo, physical encounter.”
The Sharks face the Jaguares at 22h40 on Saturday night.
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