Coach Mike Vowles has urged his Sharks XV side to ignore the complicated Currie Cup semi-final permutations and focus solely on beating the Vodacom Bulls XV at Kings Park on Friday night.
The Sharks head into the final round of the league stage with a place in the last four still within reach, but Vowles insists his players cannot afford to be distracted by the various scenarios that could determine their fate.
“We want to put in a good performance that allows us to win the game,” Vowles said on Wednesday.
“Once we feel that we’ve got that right, we can start looking at the bonus point. But for us, the focus is all about winning first.”
TEAM: Vowles backs continuity for Sharks’ playoff push
The Durban-based club is seventh on the log, but just three points behind the fourth-placed Boland Cavaliers and a bonus-point victory could significantly boost their semi-final chances.
“There are so many permutations, you can’t really focus on it and the reality is you can’t control it,” he said.
Vowles has tweaked his loose trio for the clash, with Hanu Pieterse returning at No 8 and Tino Mavesere moving to openside flank in place of Jean-Henri Smit.
“I think the combinations are starting to understand each other, there’s a good cohesion among the group now,” Vowles said.
“From a team selection point of view, we’ve gone with a relatively unchanged 23 because we want to reward performances.”
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The Sharks produced an impressive display last Friday in their 22-22 draw against the Lions in Pietermaritzburg.
“We felt that the group did a really good job for us so we want to give them another opportunity to put their hand up,” Vowles said.
Photo: Dirk Kotze/Gallo Images
The post Vowles tells Sharks: Secure the win first appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Coach Mike Vowles has urged his Sharks XV side to ignore the complicated Currie Cup semi-final permutations and focus solely on beating the Vodacom Bulls XV at Kings Park on Friday night.
The post Vowles tells Sharks: Secure the win first appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
