Sharks can’t be caught napping

AN unwritten rule for bigger unions travelling to the granite hard pitch of the Griquas is to hit that ground running, snuff out the home challenge as soon as possible and — whatever you do — don’t let Griquas get their tails up.

In other words, start well otherwise you are in for a long day of arduous toil. A number of previous Sharks teams have written the above-mentioned rule in sweat and tears and then boarded the charter flight back to Durban with Currie Cup log points hanging in the frosty air of the diamond fields.

It grew to a point where Griquas seemed to choose the Sharks as their giant-killing act for the year, summoning their best performance, but the other side of the coin is that they won’t catch the Sharks napping again. Once bitten twice shy as they say …

Midway through 2019, Sean Everitt was two weeks into the job after having succeeded Robert du Preez when Griquas came to town, coached by Brent Janse van Vuuren. A couple of things have happened since the Sharks lost despairingly that day: they rapidly improved after that rushed start under Everitt; Janse van Vuuren is now Everitt’s forwards coach, and the Sharks never, ever underestimate Griquas, plus they know exactly how to play them.

“We must go there and squeeze them into a corner and not give them opportunities because that is when they are dangerous,” Everitt cautioned ahead of today’s visit (1.30pm kick-off). \

“You can’t allow the game to get loose because they have a physical pack of forwards and desperate people looking for contracts elsewhere so they will come for us.”

There was also a match-up in Kimberley where Everitt came within a late Curwin Bosch penalty of losing to them for a second time, and again he has learnt from that.

“That game where Curwin saved the day … we made individual errors that gave them energy, and we struggled in the set piece, and next thing they had momentum and belief they could win,” Everitt recalled.

“We must squeeze them, give them nothing, and take our opportunities with both hands.

“They are confident they can turn us over because they have done it before, although in the last two games between us we have performed really well, and that is because we don’t take them for granted.”

Bosch is not playing this game and in his place is youngster Boeta Chamberlain and Everitt is keen to see how the former Paarl Boys High learner goes.

“Boeta was really good for us in the 2019 Currie Cup season but then got injured and he hasn’t played any Currie Cup rugby since then. So this is an opportunity for him to show what he can do. We may need him to carry a load for us in the PRO16, so how he performs now is very important.”

Sharks team: Manie Libbok, Werner Kok, Jeremy Ward, Marius Louw, Anthony Volmink, Boeta Chamberlain, Jaden Hendrikse, Phepsi Buthelezi (captain), Thembelani Bholi, James Venter, Hyron Andrews, Ruben van Heerden, Khutha Mchunu, Fez Mbatha, Kwezi Mona. Replacements: Kerron van Vuuren, Mzamo Majola, Wiehahn Herbst, Reniel Hugo, JJ van der Mescht, Mpilo Gumede, Grant Williams, Marnus Potgieter.