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.
@Supa Die Bloubul – 114
Dankie Supa!! hehehehe
@Supa Die Bloubul – Ja, maar hopelik het die strooptog nou einde gekry nadat die Akademie hier op Stellenbosch gevestig is. Ek vermoed na 2011 gaan Bulle baie spelers aan Europa verloor, dan sal die huidige jongelinge die mas moet opkom.
@Supa Die Bloubul – 120
Die deurslagewende punt is dat ek NIE ‘n nomadiese leefstyl het nie. Die Kaap is my permanente tuiste
@Supa Die Bloubul –
Simpatie en hond skop is baie na aan mekaar. Soos ‘n skelm en ‘n goeie besigheids man.
Mens moet partykeer so bietjie self ondersoek instel en vasstel waar jy staan.
Ek het ‘n donnerse skelm vir ‘n vennoot gehad wat geglo het hy is ‘n goeie besigheids man.
Ah well, ek moes dit sien kom het, hy is ‘n prokurower.
GBS is die enigste prokureur wat ek ken wat nie ‘n skelm is nie. 🙂
122@Polla –
Ek is nie te bekommerd nie. Ons 0/21 en 0/19 het die afgelope 8 jaar elke keer gewen, of die finaal gehaal behalwe eenkeer dink ek. Ons sisteme is in plek. Twee jaar is n lang tyd en daar gaan nuwe ouens deurkom om saam met ouens soos Potties, Stegmann, Hougaard, Morne, Kirchner, Gerhard ens te speel.
124@isigidi –
Ek het nie n idee na watter post jy verwys nie! hehe
@Polla – Jeez Polla, daai akkedemie van ons bestaan ok lyk my net in naam.
Ek het nog boggerol daar sien deurkom nie.
Ek hoop jy’s reg.
Jy op Skellembosch?
@isigidi – 124
Ons gesels oor Tswane en hier val jy in met simpatie, skelms en hond skop.
Probeer jy iets sê Isi? 🙂
My stelling is dat as jy eers vir WP skree (Maak nie saak vir wie jy voor dit geskree het nie) en jy is ‘n ware ondersteuner, sal jy nie daarna ooit weer vir iemand anders skree nie!..Maak dit nou meer sin?. Ek het nie in WP grootgeword nie maar was altyd ‘n WP fan van kleins af, en het eers na skool op Maties rerig ‘n groot supporter geword nadat ek die eerste keer op Nuweland was.
123@SA Barbarians –
Jy moet maar net hoop jy moet nie dringend in Gauteng kom woon nie, anders sal jy gou n Leeus trui of iets moet aanskaf! 😛
@Supa Die Bloubul – Ag los my yt!
Ek wil ok so bietjie kak praat soos julle ouens. 🙂
@isigidi – Juan de Jong?
Ek moet nou hol vir ‘n meeting. Ek hoop om weer vanaand te praat. Cheers almal
129@Polla –
Pietman het in die Kaap grootgeword en jare WP geskree. En hy is nou n Bul. So ook die joernalis JJ Harmse. Hy was WP en het in die Kaap grootgeword en geswot en ek glo nie jy sal vir een oomblik stry dat hy nou n Bul is nie!
@SA Barbarians – Die argumente is so irrelevant, nie gedog julle gaan agterkom as ek kak praat nie. Sorry, uitgevang! 🙁
131@isigidi –
Se ons net oor watter posts praat jy kak! 😉
Hoe lank is daai akadmie al aan die gang? Is dit nie al n hele klompie jare nie?
Die Sharks Akademie of iets werk goed. Die Haaie se juniors kon jare lank nie eers die semis haal nie en het gesukkel in die Vodacom Cup. Nou begin hulle juniors sterk deurkom!
133@Polla –
Cheers Polla! Hou by die BLOU! 🙄
@SA Barbarians – Hy’t noggie deurgekom nie, hy is nog ‘n degie en het lang pad om te stap voor hy ‘n brood ga word.
@Supa Die Bloubul – Ek het al daar gebly en so my immuniteit opgebou.
Ek gaan binnekort baie werk daar doen en oorweeg selfs om ‘n plekkie daar te koop vir Maandag tot Vrydag en te pendel, maar Saterdag-oggende maak ek my oë oop in die soetste Kaap!
@isigidi –
Dink jy Juan de Jong sal beginspan kry volgende jaar in die s14? Rassie kyk seker na:
Duvenage
De Waal
Habana
Grant
Mossie
Sireli
Jantjies
Ek beter ook weer bietjie werk doen hier.
Tjorts vir eers
@SA Barbarians –
Ek dog jy het nie n nomadiese leefstyl nie! 😯
@Supa Die Bloubul – 142
Juis, ek werk wyd, maar ek bly op een plek
Daar sy! Nog n suksesvolle dag om die WP ondersteuners weg te jaag! GBS en Ed, ek wag vir my tjek! 😆
@SA Barbarians –
Jy bly dan 5 dae in Gauteng en twee dae in die Kaap? Dis twee plekke!
Okay, hopelik is die site nou gereinig en is die WP ondersteuners vir eers weg. 😳
@Supa Die Bloubul –
Ha, vir my kry jy nie so maklik weggejaag nie!
@KingPaul –
Dis nie nodig om jou weg te jaag nie, jy kruip al weg vir n uur en is nie eintlik n bedreiging nie. hehehe
SAB hierdie een gaan jy nie maklik wen nie 🙄
@Tripples –
Die WP ondersteuners praat hulle maar soms in n hoek vas! 🙄
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