Sharks aim to 'right our wrongs'

03/05/2025 08:13 AM

Wing Yaw Penxe expects the Sharks to bite back against the Lions at Kings Park on Saturday.

The Durbanites suffered a chastening 38-14 defeat at Ellis Park last weekend, conceding six tries to a rampant Lions team.

Coach John Plumtree called it a "massive wake-up call" for his side who were "not in the right space mentally" and, most damningly, said the Lions had "wanted it more".

On Wednesday, Penxe said the Sharks had addressed their shortcomings.

"As players, we had a proper look at ourselves and our game, individually and as a unit. We know where we went wrong and have been working on it the past couple of days.

"It definitely helps playing the same team again; you're essentially getting a second chance a week later, which doesn't happen often. So hopefully we can right our wrongs this weekend.”

Those wrongs, the 27-year-old elaborated, were physicality and skill-set related.

"When the Lions were in our half and 22, we weren't as physical as we would like to be.

"The second big point was our kicking game. We had a couple of inaccurate kicks that hurt us. And our skill set as well … we gave away a couple of turnovers and they put us straight back into our half.

"So it's about sharpening our skill set this week, and the physicality side, which is more mental."

The Sharks are also hoping to avoid a repeat of last Saturday when they conceded two tries in the first 15 minutes and were forced to play catch-up rugby in wet conditions.

"If you lose that first 20 [minutes] it gets into the players' heads and the team loses confidence. So we'd really like to get a better start than we did last week," said Penze.

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Apart from gaining revenge, the Sharks have plenty to play for.

They are fourth on the Vodacom URC log and and can get to within two or three points of the Bulls if they do bounce back in front of their fans.

There's also the added incentive of winning the SA Shield for the first time, as a fourth derby victory of the season would take the Sharks above the Stormers.

"We haven't won the Shield before, which provides a bit of motivation," Penze said. "Every match is important to us but if we get the win [on Saturday] we will get to lift the Shield for the first time."

Photo: Gallo Images

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