The Hollywoodbets Sharks XV beat Western Province 31-23 in the eighth round of the Currie Cup at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday as the side continues to pick up momentum.
With the Free State Cheetahs going down 21-38 to the Golden Lions in Bloemfontein later in the day, the fact that the Durbanites claimed all five-log points on offer in the Cape meant they leapfrogged the defending champions into third on the log.
“It was a scrappy first half,” said JP Pietersen post-match. “We never looked like we were in control of the game, we were a bit disconnected on attack and got a bit frustrated in moments of the game. But it just shows the character in the group that we found a way to score tries. It’s massive credit to Eduan Keyter, he was the one who actually sparked the team in the game.”
The young side has continually punched above their weight this season but despite their current high placing on the overall standings, Pietersen says that finishing in the top four wasn’t necessarily the main aim at the beginning of the campaign.
“We never looked at the log as our goal. We were always looking at blooding youngsters; that was our number one objective. And then obviously to have a complete performance, that was what we were always looking at as a group. Rugby players are all competitive, so we all want to win.
“That’s [the good performances] from the group themselves. I think it’s leadership from Nick Hatton demanding more from the players. And they wanted to make it something special. These eight weeks they’ve really done something special, they really care for each other, and it shows.”
Hollywoodbets Sharks URC coach John Plumtree is set to assume command of the Currie Cup vessel from Pietersen as he continues preparation for the European season ahead. With the union’s franchise players now expected to pick up where the youngsters have left off in the Currie Cup, the former Bok winger shared his thoughts as to whether any of his crop could make the step up to URC rugby.
“Some of them will be ready for URC. It’s just to see who’s going to be there in the future. I think we mustn’t get too excited that they must play now. There’s still a process they need to go through, and it would be nice if Plum can just blood them slowly into the URC, because it’s also a different level.
“It shows that this is an exciting group. I can think just off my head 10 of plus okes that we can build going forward to the future.”
