Jaco Williams of the Sharks crosses the line for one of his two tries during the United Rugby Championship clash against the Stormers at Kings Park on Saturday. The 20-year-old’s clinical finishing helped the Durban side to a 36-24 bonus-point victory. Photo: Backpagepix Head coach JP Pietersen is keeping his Sharks’ feet firmly on the ground, even after a pair of statement wins that have suddenly reignited their United Rugby Championship (URC) campaign.
Back-to-back victories over their coastal rivals, the Stormers, have pushed the Durban side up to ninth on the URC log, with a valuable 10 points banked from the two clashes. The results not only breathed life into their season but also ended the Cape outfit’s unbeaten run in the competition. Yet, Pietersen insists the Sharks are not getting ahead of themselves.
“We’re happy with the win and not thinking too far ahead about the Top 8 just yet,” he said. “If you don’t know our next two fixtures, we have the Lions and the Bulls away. We can celebrate the win over the Stormers and be happy, and from there, take it week-by-week.
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We have a break of 10 days, and from there we take it as it comes.” The former Springbok wing and 2007 World Cup champion believes the wins were encouraging, especially after where the team were when he took over, but also highlighted that being consistent remains the biggest challenge over the next few games. While the Sharks showed plenty of grit, physicality and patience against the Stormers, they still have gears left unexplored. For the Durbanites, momentum is finally on their side after a frustrating start to the season.
The confidence in the team is growing, belief is returning, the players are fighting for each other every week, and the log is starting to look a little better. Pietersen welcomed the break, despite getting back to winning ways, and said that after the gruelling coastal derbies, they need to just switch off mentally and physically. He wants his players to recover optimally so that when they travel to Gauteng for back-to-back derbies at Ellis Park and Loftus Versfeld, they can be ready for those tough encounters.
“If you look at the game of last week, the Stormers were number one and undefeated in the URC. I think there was a two percent chance of us winning. But we’ve implemented and executed our plan well.
“And to achieve that, you need discipline. When something is clicking, it’s clicking. You can see it.
“I see the growth, and there is belief. The guys are putting their hands up. The main thing stays the main thing on the field for us.”
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