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 – 89
Rassie staan nog baaaaie sterker as wat FL in Tswane gestaan het. So jy reken AC is die redding van WP/Stormers? Dit moes ‘n glipsie gewees het..
@Polla –
Dan verstaan ek hoekom julle pelle…lol
@Supa Die Bloubul – Ons weet hoe om die Lions te wen, dis al wat nodig is en met Earl weer terug in die span gaan hulle sommer hierdie naweek al hulle rieme styfloop teen Bom Samaai en sy maats!..Hulle kan daarna maar alles wen.
@SA Barbarians –
As die WP onderstueners hulle sin gekry het in April was Rassie weg. Net soos Ludeke laasjaar. Ludeke kon ten minste regmaak deur n CC finaal te haal en s14 te WEN. Rassie kon nog niks uitrig nie.
Nie net AC nie, ek dink Proudfoot maak ook n groot verskil. Maar n mens sal eers werklik sien as die Bulle en Haaie hulle 10 Bokke elk terugkry.
@Polla – 90
My skoonseun het ook verlede jaar skielik ‘n BB ondersteuner geraak… Die laaste paar weke het hy altyd iets belangrikers om te doen as rugby kyk.
Glo verlede jaar laas aandag gegee aan rugby…. 🙄
Ek is baie bekommerd oor my dogter se toekoms 🙂
@isigidi – #84….almal moet seker hoop in hulle lewe hê Isi….hehehehe
en SAB, dis nie friggin Tswane nie, dis P R E T O R I A!!!!
95@SA Barbarians –
Gebeur nogal baie deesdae dat WP ondersteuners eerder Bulle word. Die ouens begin bykom. Net jy het n dommer skuif gemaak om van Sharks na Weepie toe te gaan! 😆
As WP net sy jongelinge kan behou in die volgende 2 to 3 jaar en die Bulle koop hulle nie onder onse gatte uit nie, kan ons uitsien na ‘n goeie paar jaar vorentoe. Ons kan dalk self weer ‘n nuwe kabinet gaan koop om hopelik ‘n koppie of twee te bere.
@Polla –
Jongelinge? Bwahaha. Hulle word gou weer vervang deur ou manne soos AJ, Jack, De Waal, Welsh, Human ens.
@Supa Die Bloubul – 94
Ja Supa ons sal maar moet wag en sien. Ons praat mos nie groot hier in die Kaap nie. Ons luister maar in stilte na die tinkerbell en light five stories en werk intussen aan ons skrums en vaste fasette ens.
Lyk darem of ons so ietwat vordering gemaak het
@Supa Die Bloubul – Daai was nooit rerige WP ondersteuners nie Supa…hule skree soos die wind hulle waai. Volgende jaar skree hulle weer vir die Sharks. ‘n Ware WP ondersteuner sal NOOIT vir die bulle of enige ander span skree nie..miskien vir die Boland…maar dis waar dit sal eindig!
@SA Barbarians –
Ja nee julle is baie beskeie. Julle verkies argumente soos “WP vermorsel almal”,
“Leeus is nie n faktor”, “haal julle eers die semi” en “wonder wie speel teen WP in die finaal” 😉
@Supa Die Bloubul – 99
Yep jongelinge…. 23 jariges soos Wikus Blaauw, Brock Harris ens. Jy moet hulle tog onthou van die WP / BB games op Loftus en Nuweland? 🙂
@Supa Die Bloubul – Ek praat van hulle 0/18’s 0/19’s en o/21’s. Daai ou manne bring ietsie by. Gaan kyk bietjie wat is Bulle se gemiddelde ouderdom as julle Bokke terug is.
101@Polla –
So is SA Barbarian dan nie n ware WP ondersteuner nie? Hy het jare eers die Haaie ondersteun?
@Polla – #101
Stem saam, ware ondersteuners spring nie van span tot span nie…..ek is gebore bul ondersteuner en sal so bly, even deur die maer jare het ek ‘n bul gebly………
@Supa Die Bloubul – 105
Supa, ek vergewe jou jou onkunde – dit was nie jare nie. Dit was in my onvolwasse kinderdae. Nou weet ek van beter
@Supa Die Bloubul – #106 wat my pla daarvan is hoe SAB so ‘n swak keuse kon maak 😆
@Polla –
Ek weet WP het uitstekende juniors, maar hulle kan hulle nie reg hanteer nie en koop ou manne en daai jong ouens waai dan.
Die Bulle? Ek het nie n probllem met ons ouderdomme nie. Ons hele s14 kampioenspan span kan nog twee jaar speel. Van ons s14 kampioenspan kan Gurhro, Kuun, Werner, Potties, spies, Stegmann, FDP, Morne, Wynand, Jaco, Kirchner, Akona nog almal minstens 4 jaar speel. Dan is daar ouens soos Gerhard en Hougaardt wat mooi deurkom.
@Tripples – 106
Stem saam Tripples
Is al die vrouens in Tswane bulle? 😯 🙄 🙂
Ek ken nie SA Barbarian goed genoeg om ‘n oordeel te vel nie. Daar is verskeie redes hoekom mens kan verander, maar my stelling se dat ‘n ware WP ondersteuner nie van kleur verander nie. ‘n Shark kan enige tyd by WP aansluit, solank hy net nie weer verander nie!
Stry julle oor wie se pa die grootste is?
@SA Barbarians – #110 nee KOEIE hehehehehehe
107@SA Barbarians –
Feit bly staan, jy was eers n Haai en volgens Polla se teorie is jy nie n ware WP ondersteuner nie. Jyt self gese jy ondersteun die span waar jy bly, so indien jy weer sou moes trek, sou jy WP moes opgee!
Vir die rekord, al was jy eers n Haai maak jy nou n oortuigende WP ondersteuner! 😉
@Supa Die Bloubul – 109
Ek wonder of Werner nog 4 DAE gaan speel na sy nagmerries teen die WP light five
108@Tripples –
hehehe…Ons moet maar simpatie he met die wat verkeerde keuses maak! 😆
@Polla – Ek ondersteun WP al meer as 30 jaar. Dit plaas die Tswane propaganda in perspektief
111@Polla –
So jy gebruik daai teorie soos dit jou pas? 😉
@Tripples – 113
sug van verligting 🙂
117@SA Barbarians –
Geen propaganda nie.
Het jy nie SELF gese jy ondersteun die span waar jy woon nie? Maw elke keer wat jy trek neem jy n ander span aan.
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