Sharks youngsters proved themselves – Gold

The Durban outfit ran in three tries through Garth April, S’bura Sithole and Johan Deysel to overcome a very physical Toulouse at the Stade Ernest Wallon. That completed back-to-back wins in France, following their 29-21 win over European Champions Toulon a week ago.

A soggy and cold night in Toulouse didn’t seem to deter a Sharks outfit that is looking formidable ahead of the expanded 2016 Super Rugby season. Even after director of rugby Gary Gold had wrung the changes for the clash, his charges put in a phenomenal display off the back of a ferocious defensive effort.

Tip your hat to new defence coach Omar Mouneimne as the Durbanites flew into tackles with little regard for their own well-being.

It was a night for the Sharks youngsters to put up their hands and once again the Du Preez twins, Jean-Luc and Daniel, were outstanding when they took the field from the bench. Young flyhalf April scored 21 points and definitely put up his hand as an able replacement for the injured skipper Pat Lambie.

The standout on the night was captain-fantastic Marcell Coetzee. If the news of his impending departure to Ulster next season had cast doubts on his commitment to the side, they were quashed by his tireless performance around the park.

Gold will no doubt be smiling ahead of the start of the Super Rugby competition. Consecutive wins over strong French outfits is no mean feat and he credited the courage and commitment his players showed – something they lacked last season.

“I am a proud coach because of the fight the guys showed. That’s what we wanted to achieve on this tour. It may sound strange when I say that the wins were important but they weren’t our main objective. To put up a performance like that and beat a star-studded team like Toulouse shows that when we apply ourselves, we have the ability to play as well as we did tonight,” he said.

Gold was particularly pleased that he was able to rotate his whole squad – giving all of his players a chance to get game time and gel ahead of the coming season. Most importantly, the younger players repaid his faith in them with spirited performances.

“That was what we had planned at the end of a very disappointing Currie Cup – to give the young guys we believe have the potential some confidence. I hope we’ve been able to deliver our side as they certainly delivered on their end. There were some amazing performances from young guys who you can see desperately want to wear the Sharks jersey,” Gold said.

The Sharks boss also hailed Coetzee’s role in the win. The Springbok flank was in sublime form off the back of a stint in Japan.

“He stepped up and captained the side in the absence of Pat and Beast (Mtawarira) – who were captain and vice-captain last week. It’s good that we have strength in depth from a leadership point of view.”

The Sharks now turn their attention to the first match of the Super Rugby season – a clash with the Kings on 27 February. Gold cautioned that his side are not yet a finished article.

“I am excited more than confident. I still think that there are things that we have to be really hard on ourselves about improving. We really haven’t won anything yet and I think its important that we stay humble and put the hard yards in when we get back to Durban. The Kings are going to be formidable at home in their first game. They’ve got a lot to prove and there is no way we’re going to take them lightly,” Gold said.

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