Watch VideoConsistency is king for Sharks, says Andre the Giant ahead of URC clash with Ospreys

Andre Esterhuizen, Captain of Hollywoodbets Sharks warming up ahead of the United Rugby Championship. Andre Esterhuizenhas called on his players to show consistency in performance over the last four rounds of theUnited Rugby Championshipif they are to pull off a minor miracle and sneak into the top eight playoffs. The Durbanites are on route to Newport in Wales to tackle the Dragons on Saturday night (8.45pm).

Next week they travel to Edinburgh. “The key message to the squad has been consistency,” Esterhuizen explained. “That has been something we have lacked this season.

It is consistency in performance and not always in results. The performance side of things is what we have been driving — we know if we are performing well, we have a good chance of winning the matches.” Esterhuizen said the key to touring is to get the balance right between enjoyment off the field and playing well on it. “It is about being relaxed between games but delivering and maintaining intensity on the field.

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We are working on it. You have to be switched on as soon as you get on to the field and start playing. “That is where the consistency comes in,” Esterhuizen continued.

“It is a big mindset thing. You can’t play one good game and then switch off for another. It is a tough competition where you can lose any day of the week.

You have to be ‘on it’ every single game.” The Ospreys are in 11th spot on the URC log, and if they can beat the Sharks (just a place above them in 10th), they will believe they have an outside shot at making the playoffs, so they will give the Sharks game full crack. “The Ospreys are a tough side, especially there. They are a physical side that likes to move the ball around.

We know they are going to play a lot of rugby — they play a nice attacking style of rugby,” the skipper said. “The difference for us has to do with the mindset consistency I keep talking about. “It has been letting us down.

We all know we can play, and we have the squad to do it; we must just do it every weekend.” Esterhuizen said the conditions won’t affect the way the Sharks play. “In terms of conditions, the big difference from Durban to Europe is the heat. Playing in Durban, the humidity makes the ball slippery, and when it rains in Europe, it makes the ball slippery. So there is no difference there.

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