Jake White
Cell C Sharks coach Jake White agreed that the last gasp defeat to the DHL Stormers in the final Vodacom Super Rugby match before the June break was a massive blow to his team, but he refused at the post-match press conference to let the disappointment cloud his perspective.
“Look, if you had asked me at the start of the competition if I would buy a situation where we would be going into the June break at the top of the log by two points with two matches for us to play, I would happily have brought that,” said White.
SuperSport
“There is still some way to go in this competition, and the Lions’ win over the Bulls earlier today was a reminder that in this competition anything can happen. So I still have confidence in this team and what we can do. The season is far from over and while this result was a setback, we are still well in the competition.”
But White conceded that his team has now lost the strong position they were in, with the Sharks now needing to rely on results elsewhere to go their way if they are still to achieve their objective of finishing top on the final log and thus ensuring that they stay at home for the entire play-off round, in other words all the way to the final if they get there.
“Obviously this result was far from ideal and we accept that we dropped the baton after all the hard work we did overseas. There are other sides at the top who have a game on us and we need to now win two away games while hoping that the other teams drop games. That is a different situation to where we were when we came back from tour and had we won today we would have been in a really good position.”
“But as I keep saying, there is still a lot that can still happen in this competition. It is very difficult to predict results and today’s game against the Stormers was another indication of the small margins that separate victories from defeats. Had we held out and that final kick not gone over, we would have won. That’s just the way it is at this level of sport.”
White said he was confident that Patrick Lambie, the injured flyhalf, would be back for the remaining two games against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein and the Stormers in Cape Town next month.
Patrick Lambie
“Patrick is doing well and we are expecting him to be able to play again after the June break. Whether or not he will be able to start or not is something we will decide nearer the time, but it will be great to have him back,” said White.
Jean Deysel should be back from his suspension by then too, but White will be watching the four matches the Springboks play in the month of June quite anxiously as there are sure to be several Sharks players in the Bok starting teams for those games.
The Sharks looked out on their feet in the Stormers game and clearly there are some players who are in desperate need of rest, with the key players, all of them Boks, being on the top of that list. If Heyneke Meyer does what he has done by starting them in every game they are available for, White will still have a very tired team playing for him come July, so the outlook is far from positive.
The Sharks currently top the log and are two points ahead of the Waratahs and four ahead of the Crusaders, but the Waratahs and Crusaders have three games remaining whereas the Sharks have two. That effectively means that as it stands, it is all square at the top, with the two overseas sides having the edge. In the next round of matches, which will feature just New Zealand and Australian teams, the Waratahs host the Brumbies and the Crusaders travel to the Hurricanes. Both those games take place on 28 June, the day the Springboks play Scotland in Port Elizabeth.
The next Sharks match is on Saturday 5 July, against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
And to top off the 3rd article, Brendan Venter says trophies shouldn’t equate to success, good news for the Sharks.
Does silverware equal success?
by Brendan Venter 28/05/2014, 12:58
As the Super Rugby season heads towards its climax, the topic of winning silverware comes into sharp focus.
With the Sharks in control of the combined log standings, and having enjoyed three impressive wins on their Australasian tour, I believe the only thing that will now satisfy Sharks supporters is winning the competition.
While I’ve been privileged as a coach to be associated with teams that have won trophies – London Irish, Saracens, the Junior Springboks and the Sharks – I’m of the view that a team and mentor’s “success” or “failure’’ should be measured against the yardstick of long-term sustainability rather than attaining silverware alone.
Take football boss Jose Mourinho’s record in the Uefa Champions League competition as a fitting case study. He has reached the semi-final stage of the competition eight times and has only triumphed twice. We tend to remember the two titles he has won and, in turn, cast aside the six occasions he failed to reach the final.
The question I would pose is: if a team consistently has their name in the proverbial hat by the time the knock-out stage is reached, is that not good enough?
The Stormers, for example, won the South African conference in 2011 and 2012, however, failed to win the tournament proper, losing consecutive semi-finals. With ultimate “success” seemingly not forthcoming, over the next few seasons we witnessed a complete system overhaul, which I believe has proved wholly counterproductive. The Cape side unwittingly took a backwards step in their development, and I would argue that they were closer then to sustainable success than they realised.
There is such a small percentage in professional sport between “success” and “failure”. However, when top sides oppose one another the margin for error is further magnified. The Heineken Cup final between Saracens and Toulon served as a prime example.
When one analyses a win or a loss systematically, there are certain key performance indicators which have to be met. And the better the opposition, often the less positive the performance indicators are. I believe that that point is more often than not left out of the equation. This past weekend, for instance, we faced a Toulon side which boasted world-class decision-makers.
Moreover, when a side loses a knock-out match, it’s always important to examine the variables outside of one’s control. For example, how the opposition goalkicker kicked on the day, how the ball bounced, the playing surface and refereeing decisions etc. When one examines any big match, critical moments are defined by one or more of the aforementioned variables.
On the flipside, if a side is bossed in the set-piece, is broken down defensively or has a poor exit strategy, all of these factors are controllables which can be improved upon. However, the crux of the matter is that knock-out matches are decided by small variables which neither side can plan ahead for.
Do Saracens become a bad side overnight for losing the final? I think not. They have reached the semi-final stage of the Aviva Premiership five years in a row now.
In the same breath, I would argue that the Stormers class of 2011 and 2012 were on the right track, while I maintain that the Sharks’ 2014 Super Rugby season will still be a successful one even if they reach the playoffs but fail to win the final.
I believe the ultimate objective should be to get one’s team in contention for silverware on a yearly basis in order to cultivate longevity.
Therefore, the lesson for any coach is not to become overly-obsessive about winning trophies. If a team wins 80 per cent of their games in any sport, in my view, they have found the recipe for success.
I believe the desire should be to create an era of sustainable success through consistency of performance rather than being focused solely on winning finals. The ultimate danger is in overhauling systems on account of lacking silverware.
Have we become overly-obsessed with winning silverware and what would you deem to be a successful season for your preferred Super Rugby side? Share your views by posting your comments below….
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