Sharks' inconsistency irks Gold

In a game of two distinctly different halves, the Sharks looked the stronger side for the first 40 minutes. The Blues managed to sneak in a try before the half-time hooter to make it 11-10 to the visitors - which setup what was always going to be a closely contested second stanza.

The Sharks defence stood resolute which made life difficult for the hosts. But what was most pleasing was the Sharks’ continuity on attack in the first half. Director of rugby Gary Gold has admitted in recent weeks that his charges were struggling to gel on attack – but they played some brilliant running rugby in those first 30 minutes.

Who knows what was said in the shed at the break but the Sharks were under the cosh for most of the second half. After Paul Jordaan put the Sharks ahead with a brilliant try in the 41^st minute, the Durban outfit let the match slip from their grasp.

One has to feel for captain Beast Mtawarira. After scoring his side’s first try of the match, it was Mtawarira that was beaten by New Zealand Sevens star Rieko Ioane, who ran in the Blues’ second try of the game.

The match was far from over but the Sharks failed to capitalise on a number of favourable set pieces in the Blues half. The Sharks discipline also cost them, as the Blues sealed the match with a late penalty.

Reflecting on the performance, a disappointed Gold admitted that Ioane’s try was the beginning of the end.

“I suppose it was a turning point on the scoreboard. I still thought that only two points down, if we could have held onto possession we had looked good at times through the phases – but we couldn’t secure lineout ball,” Gold said.

“It was always going to be a game of margins and I thought we did well enough in the first half to have the momentum and come in at half time – unfortunately that wasn’t the case in the second half.”

The Sharks coaching box would have been a pressure cooker of emotion in those last 15 minutes, as their team botched a number of chances. As the pressure mounted, the Sharks gave away a number of penalties as they looked to turnover possession. 

“It was incredibly frustrating particularly on the basis of how well we had done in the first half. I thought we defended really well against a team that attacked a lot. But we don’t want to defend all night; we want to have the ball in our hands to ask questions particularly with the back three that we’ve got,” Gold said.

“I think we saw that in Paul’s try – it was outstanding. When we were able to build pressure the opportunities were going to be there. But it was a simple situation of poor discipline creeping in. When the rare occasions did arrive to build some pressure we lost our set piece – our lineout particularly.”

Set piece work will no doubt be a focus as the Sharks prepare for their clash with the Highlanders on Friday. Gold will remind his players to remain patient for the full 80 minutes this time around, as they look to end a three-match losing streak.

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