Hollywoodbets Sharks defence coach Joey Mongalo says Cardiff will pose a massive threat in a number of departments when the Welsh outfit visit The Tank for Saturday’s penultimate URC round robin clash.
The hosts head into this one off the back of a disappointing 24-25 defeat to Benetton in Durban. They’re 12th, level on points with their opponents this week albeit one place higher thanks to their greater points difference.
Despite Cardiff only having won three of their 16 URC games this season, Mongalo was quick to sing their praises.
“If you look at them, they’ve probably got the least losing margin in games, especially away from home. So even though they’ve lost quite a few games, they’ve been in the game against top sides like Munster. It’s not fair to reflect on them based on their results only, but I think if you dig deeper, you can see there’s a solid unit in there.
“One thing they definitely are is clear on how they want to play. Their game model is quite clear to see, to see how they want to impose their game onto opposition.”
Matt Sherratt’s charges fell 13-34 to the Lions in Joburg last week, but Mongalo believes they have the players and game plan to cause the Sharks trouble this week.
“[Former Pumas flyhalf] Tinus de Beer has probably been one of the best buys of the entire URC campaign. I’m sorry to go here because I’m a massive lover of the Currie Cup, but he’s a guy who played in the Currie Cup final – that’s where he got seen – and now he’s actually carrying that Cardiff team.
“He’s massive for them. He’s got the most kicks and second-most kick meters. They’re a team that kicks long and defends well, and I think they’re [one of the top two teams with] the least penalties conceded. It says a lot about their ability to defend for many phases without giving penalties away, which means they are a connected defensive side.
“Not so much a rush defence but rather slower off the line, and they spend a lot of time in the tackle. So their tackle fight is quite good which allows them to set, allows them to set good connections.”
The match gets underway at 18:15 on Saturday evening.
