Sharks out to avoid rope-a-dope
The Sharks are expecting no shortage of rough stuff against a Jaguares team that contains the backbone of the Pumas squad.
|||Durban - The Sharks are expecting no shortage of rough stuff on Saturday night at Kings Park against a Jaguares team that contains the backbone of the Pumas squad that famously beat the Springboks at the same venue last year.
Given the Buenos Aires team’s latent Latin temperament, Sharks coach Gary Gold is certain that the Argentines will feed off that historic win and throw the kitchen sink at the Sharks.
The home side, in turn, is desperate to bank the points from this home match given their tough draw - they are away to the Stormers and Bulls over the next fortnight and then have home games against the Crusaders and Lions before heading overseas for three matches in New Zealand.
“They are going to be ferocious,” Gold said yesterday. “A lot of their players will have an emotional connection to this ground. They have 10 to 12 players who then went on to play in the semi-finals of the World Cup.”
Gold borrowed from boxing history when he said his team were determined not to get lured into a “rope-a-dope” confrontation, a reference to the famous 1974 Rumble in the Jungle when Mohammed Ali declined to box on the offensive and lay against the ropes with his arms up to allow George Foreman to tire himself out.
“The Jaguares are the real deal. They play with a major intensity, they play with freedom and they will hurt you, no doubt about that, if you are even just a little off your game,” he said. “If you are too defensive, you will soon be chasing your tail.”
Gold, a wily fox, then suggested that referee Jaco Peyper could have his hands full in enforcing the law at the breakdown.
“They really get stuck in at the breakdown, although I am not sure they are always legal, but if they dominate that area we will battle to put phases together,” Gold said before adding: “We have to prepare for this match as if it is a Test match, which is how they will be approaching it given their fondness for Kings Park.”
Does that mean the Sharks will abandon their commitment to attacking rugby? Not at all, according to Gold, who said there is a time and place for everything.
“We have to manage this game as if we are playing the Pumas,” he said. “We have seen how dangerous they can be and we don’t want them in our 22. But it is not just about containing their threats. It is also about giving ourselves the platform to attack. We must be masters of our own destiny and not get too worried about what they can do.
“In our last two games we scored six tries against Toulouse and six against the Kings, so we can ask questions of their defence as well.”
Gold acknowledged that the result was vital in the context of the Sharks’ overall campaign.
“It is hugely important,” Gold said. “Another factor is that they are in our group, which makes it yet more significant because we will be fighting against them to qualify for the play-offs.
“There is a lot riding on this game.
“Another thing is that we have had a good record at Kings Park, and we want to make it a fortress, (20 wins over the last 24 teams to visit Durban in Super Rugby), and we also want to impress our supporters,” Gold added.
“It is early days in the competition and we want to start getting some traction.”
Starting XV
Sharks: 15. Willie le Roux, 14. Odwa Ndungane, 13. Paul Jordaan, 12. Andre Esterhuizen, 11. JP Pietersen, 10. Joe Pietersen, 9. Cobus Reinach, 8. Daniel du Preez , 7. Jean-Luc du Preez, 6. Marcell Coetzee, 5. Stephan Lewies, 4. Etienne Oosthuizen, 3. Coenie Oosthuizen, 2. Franco Marais, 1. Tendai Mtawarira (captain).
Replacements: Kyle Cooper, Juan Schoeman, Lourens Adriaanse, Hyron Andrews, Philip van der Walt, Michael Claassens, Garth April, S’bura Sithole
The Mercury