Sharks coach JP Pietersen laments Bok absences, disruptions after Bulls defeat

Handré Pollard draws in two Sharks defenders before off-loading to Harold Vorster to score a try against the Sharks at Loftus. Picture: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images While Sharks head coach JP Pietersen said they had no excuses for their one-sided defeat to the Bulls on Saturday, he took pains to note the many challenges facing the Durban union. Chief among them, as was the case under his predecessor,John Plumtree, is the absence of national players on Springbok-mandated rest.

The Sharkslost 41-12 at Loftus, their second defeat in a row. The Lions, by contrast, won their final two United Rugby Championship derbies, against the Sharks and Stormers, to leapfrog the Sharks on the tournament’s South African Shield table and secure the title for the first time. While they were once poised to win it all, the Sharks must now settle for second or third place pending the final derby between the Bulls and Stormers in a fortnight.

They were also slipping further from the top eight. Captain André Esterhuizen said they practically needed towin all six of their remaining matchesnow. The Bulls backline scored seven tries against the Sharks’ two, capitalising on kick-and-chases and cross-kicks against a Sharks defence that had no answers.

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The first try epitomised this. Canan Moodie chased his own kick, grounding after two Sharks players fell over each other while scrambling after a tricky bounce. The Sharks had brought six Springboks back into the starting line-up and boasted a total 10 in the starting XV.

But they still missed Siya Kolisi, Grant Williams and Ethan Hooker, who were serving rest protocols. “It’s hard to build cohesion when you are resting seven okes in a row, and then you have to rebuild. But it doesn’t give us an excuse,” Pietersen said. “The guys who step in need to take their opportunity.” He added that injuries to Aphelele Fassi, Nick Hatton and Emile van Heerden, combined with the 15-minute lightning delay, had been disruptive, even if the delay affected both teams equally.

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