Johannesburg — On the Kardashev Scale, the Sharks were a Type III civilization when they smashed into a Union Bordeaux Begles side that could barely be considered a hapless Type I outfit this past weekend.
The Durbanites arrived at their fortress — Hollywoodbets Kings Park — on Saturday in power and majesty, filled with Test players, and ready to put L’UBB to the sword in their Heineken Champions Cup match. They duly did so in a magnificent first half performance, and it seemed that a humiliation was on the cards.
Their 32-3 victory over the French club is still an embarrassing one for the Top 14 side — even if it was not their strongest matchday 23 — but considering how rampant and dominating the Sharks were, especially in the first 40, the visitors can consider themselves lucky that the scoreboard was not even more one-sided.
“It was obviously due to the conditions and the ball the opposition gives you” Sharks Director of Rugby Neil Powell explained, regarding that second half slump in intensity.
“Yes, we were dominant in that first 25, 30 minutes. I think we went out of our structure and attacking shapes, and almost made the game a bit too loose.
“That played into Bordeaux’s hands because that is exactly what they wanted — they wanted scrappy ball on the ground, they wanted to kick it through to get turnover and kick it behind you with their chasers.
“It is something that we have addressed and will work on this week as well — to just be more clinical, keep believing in our shape and implement what we asked them to implement and not get sucked into the opposition's game and their plans.
“There was a lot of ill-discipline from the Bordeaux side as well,” Powell added, “that made the game quite difficult and scrappy.”
Nevertheless, the victory ensured that the Sharks progressed to the Round of 16 with one game in hand — a meeting against Harlequins on Saturday at Twickenham Stoop. The Sharks are second in Pool A with 13 points, two points behind Leinster, and after the match Powell gave a slight indication of his plans for the week ahead.
“Listen, I think there is always something in it,” he said.
“Whether we made it into the last-16 or not, it won’t matter how we approach next weekend’s game. There is still a lot to play for, which is obviously your home knockout games.
“If we can get more points from Harlequins, it will give us more opportunity to secure more knockout games. That will definitely be one of our goals going into that Quins game.
“It is still a long way for us in this competition,” Powell continued, “and we are taking it game-by-game. We are happy with the five points we got out of this game …
“We want to be successful in the tournament and we are trying to give ourselves the best opportunity to get into the final in the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Our next focus will only be Harlequins and what we can achieve from that game.
“Hopefully, we can secure home knockout games here.”
Meanwhile, Curwin Bosch, who missed the clash due to a hamstring injury, could make his return against Quins on Saturday. Powell explained after the game that the team was confident that the 25-year-old flyhalf would be fit by then, and that the major discussion around selecting him for the tour would concern risking further injury.
Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi, who picked up a shoulder injury early in the game, will also be assessed on Monday to see if he makes the trip to London.
IOL Sport