Sharks turning up the intensity

10/02/2024 01:00 AM

Assistant coach Warren Whiteley and skipper Vincent Tshituka say the focus this week is intensity as the Sharks embrace the challenge of a massive clash in Wales on Saturday.

The Sharks travel to Newport to tackle the Dragons in round 3 of the 2024-25 Vodacom URC on the back of a 36-30 defeat by Connacht in Galway last week.

John Plumtree's charges blew a 20-point lead as Connacht scored four unanswered tries in the second half to beat the touring South African team.

Speaking in a Sharks conference from Cardiff on Tuesday, Whiteley acknowledged the importance of staying switched on for the full 80 while improving maul defence and breakdown accuracy.

"We were happy with the intensity that we played at in the first half. Connacht started well and we struggled to exit in the first 15 to 20 minutes but once we exited we were really accurate and put pressure on them and scored some nice tries," he told reporters.

"We just couldn't match them in that second half in terms of intensity and probably if you look at our breakdown they really targeted us there, and got a lot of reward in that area.

"And at set-piece time, our maul defence is something we have to improve on," Whiteley added. "What's important is we've taken the lessons out of the game and are trying to look forward."

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Tshituka echoed his coach's sentiments, adding, "It was a disappointing second half from our side … we know what we are expected to deliver. Connacht stepped it up and we didn't match that, and they got the better of us."

Last week, league-leaders Leinster ran in six tries to trounce the Dragons in Dublin, and the Sharks head to Rodney Parade confident after a dominant bonus-point win over the Welsh outfit in Durban last year.

"We have high standards for ourselves regardless of who we're playing," Whiteley said. "We were disappointed with that second-half performance so it is about looking at those areas and where we can get better.

"If you look at the Dragons in those first 40 minutes against Leinster, they really gave it a go and played some quality rugby. They're a dangerous side, and particularly at home. They've won one, lost one, so will be determined to get a victory there.

"We know what we're up against."

Tshituka, though, is relishing the opportunity to make amends this week. "Like Coach Warren said, [Connacht] targeted us quite heavily at the breakdown and going into this weekend it's a big focus point for us.

"As a pack of forwards, I also feel we can assert ourselves a bit more. But we're raring to go and are ready to set things straight,” he concluded.

Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images

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