This Saturday’s clash between The Sharks and Blue Bulls is all about pressure – dealing with it and exerting it – according to Sharks assistant coach Grant Bashford.
With the Boland game now well behind The Sharks, the one major lesson learned is about patience. “We spoke about how impatient we were and how we frustrated ourselves with lots of mistakes,” explains Bashford, “so we just need to work on building a bit more pressure by keeping the ball for longer periods of time.
Obviously the challenges presented by the Blue Bulls and Boland are fairly contrasting, and a much tighter, more physically competitive game will be on the cards at Loftus after The Sharks were able to score eight tries against Boland and succeed in keeping their try line intact.
The good thing about games against the Blue Bulls is the sheer intensity, there is a competitive spirit between the two sides that runs back many years over many big games and Saturday will be no different as The Sharks look to consolidate their position on top of the log and the Blue Bulls look to leash in a run of two losses and prevent a third one in succession.
“You always know what it it’s like against the Blue Bulls up there, and they’ve come off two losses so they are going to be desperate,” he says. “They’re in a similar boat to us in respect of missing Bok players and it’s going to be one of those typical Bulls-Sharks games where the team that plays the longest and hardest will probably get the result.”
At this stage of the tournament and currently top of the log, with a few more wins for The Sharks, a home semi beckons. Should they win this weekend, and then with a run of three home games before their final pool match – against Griquas in Kimberley – they would fancy their chances of remaining in contention for the play-offs.
The next two games are going to be vital, the Blue Bulls this weekend then the Cheetahs at home the next. “They are difficult ones,” agrees Bashford, “but we don’t want to start thinking about the Cheetahs yet, we still have a job at hand this weekend. But we’re sitting on 32 points and if we pick up another win, then get our Boks coming back; we’ll be in a good position. We also have two of the so-called lesser sides to play, the Leopards at home and the Griquas away which won’t be easy, but at full-strength, we’ll be backing ourselves.
“There is a lot to play for but ultimately, for us, it’s all about the Blue Bulls this Saturday.”
Asked if the coaching staff have identified any weaknesses in the Blue Bulls, he points to a traditional strength as an area that has been battling recently. “Their pack hasn’t been going well if you look at the last two games, but if you look at the players they’re missing, it’s a bit like us with a lot of our forwards out and we’ve also picked up a couple of injuries here and there so they are pretty much in the same boat as us with their pack.
“So despite the fact that they might not have done well in the set pieces against Province, I didn’t expect them to. That Province pack is pretty much their Super 14 pack bolstered with guys like Chris Jack and Anton van Zyl so if you had asked me before who I thought would dominate the set piece, I’d have said Province, so with us in a similar position, it should be a good contest at set piece and obviously in those big games it’s the detail, the little bits, the intensity and who plays the hardest and longest that matters. It could come down to kicks at goal.”
Exerts of this Article was taken from sharksrugby.co.za, the Official home of the Sharks.
@grootblousmile – 28
Terwyl jy daar draai, ek soek nou weer n laptop, sal jy weer kyk vir een of is die ander een beskikbaar?
30@Tripples – If a Man makes a mistake, it’s held against him for eternity by his other half !
@Tripples – #30
meant to say :
If A Teacher Makes A Mistake, It’s A…
New Theory
@grootblousmile – #32
Cos a wife has a memory like an Elephant 😆
We are so blessed, what a talent to have 😆
31@superBul – Het nog 1 LG beskikbaar…. my eie persoonlike ene…. ek is lus om vir my ‘n Nuwe smart Notebook aan te skaf…. ene met allerhande goeters in…..
@grootblousmile – #35 Ai toggie. boys and their toys….altyd die nuutste gadgets en sagteware en goeters!!!
36@Tripples – Ek werk hard genoeg om myself te spoil… hehehehe
@Tripples – 27 Yes we have Kanko and JM in NZ for nothing really. Should have been playing this weekend.
Should still be a good game.
Okay need to go out now.
Cheers GBS and Tripples back later. Geniet your dag both of you. My afrikaans is very limited but I will try.
@grootblousmile – ja ja ja ook ‘n tipiese manlike comment….
ek werk hard genoeg…om te gaan golf speel heeldag
ek werk hard genoeg…en verdien ‘n andjie uit saam die boys
ek werk hard genoge….om myself te treat….en so aan en so aan en so aan….blah-di-blaj – di blaaaaaah
hehehehe
@Puma – Should have said. Geniet joy dag..haha.
Cheers all out of here.
@Puma – Still have it wrong….hahaha. Daft me..haha. joy meant jou.
Now gone back later.
Cheers Puma, sorry about the Afrikaans, thought you understood……
40@Tripples – Mmmmmm, jy het my herinner aan gholf….. dankie maiki….
Ek moet so paar kliente vat vir bietjie gholf…. om bietjie “besigheid” te praat….
Hahahaha
Mirrag mense….
Hi folks,
I must say that any explanation relating to a WP pack outscrumming the Bulls seems more than a little surreal to me. Maybe its time to find that Salvador Dali print somewhere in the depths of my garage, dust it off and hang it above the TV again….
But guys, help me out here (I guess I’m just out of touch..): how come Balie is helping out the Bulls pack this week – last I heard he was contracted to the Sharks? Was his contract not renewed there, and if so why? From reports I heard he was doing a good job down there?
And should the Sharks fans not be worried about what he could be whispering in the califlower ears of the Bull’s pack?
@grootblousmile – Hier is daai artikel waarvan ek in my email gepraat het. http://www.rugby365.com/schools/news/1902181.htm
@Tripples – 43
I do understand to read afrikaans but to write it and speak it I am useless. GBS knows. I will try though.
Okay now have to really put my foot down. Picking someone up at the airport.
Cheers back later.
Hi Polla and Fender
@fender – Apparantly he is floating all over the show helping the provinces, thats the last I heard, I may be totally wrong, dont know how true that was.
Got a meeting, forgot about it, so see ya later guys
I saw Balie at a schools tournament in April and had to look twice to recognize him. He is about half the guy he use to be as a prop! My son would not believe that he was the 1995 WC tighthead!
47@Polla – Lekker man, nooi daai manne om met daai selfde Nicks hier aan te sluit….
Ons het ‘n magdom ouens hier by ons wat ook al ontmoet het, saam gedrink het, saam gholf gespeel het…. en selfs saam op ‘n rugbytrein na Nuweland was.
Daai ware rugbymanne is welkom, by uitstek !
@grootblousmile – Ek is daai ou wat voor hurk….ek sukkel nou nog op op te kom! Ek het hulle almal genooi, ek sal bietjie hoor hoekom het hulle nog nie aangesluit nie. Veral die OFS ondersteuners lyk maar dun hier!
Thanks Tripples and Polla, and yes, he has really lost a huge amount of weight. But what’s with the Sharks not contracting him again and now he’s helping the Bulls.
I think this might be a shrewd move on Ludeke’s part…
Ons klomp van die Kaap beplan om volgende jaar daar na Affies te kom vir die Wildeklawer, dan kan ons sommer hopelik ‘n Super 14 game op Loftus ook inpas!
@fender – I think Balie is like any consultant!…lol
55@Polla – Ons sal gasheer speel en die braaiers, en die ekstras reel….
@grootblousmile – Hel, maar julle bulle is gasvry!..Het julle agenda met ons Capies?..lol..Ons het klomp offers van die Affie manne ok gekry om daar by hulle 600klub of iets to kom kuier….daai ekstras is die ding wat my worry!…
58@Polla – Hey, ons issie Kaapse Rugridders nie……… flok !
@grootblousmile – Dis die laaste ding wat my worry daai van ‘n Bul….Dis die brannas en coke ensv!
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