Coach Mike Vowles believes the Sharks XV are on the verge of getting the rewards their performances deserve.
The Sharks opened the Currie Cup with an away win against the Pumas in Nelspruit before suffering back-to-back defeats on the road to the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein and the Stormers XXIII at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.
The latest setback saw the Sharks trail 19-14 at half-time after prop Simphiwe Ngobese knocked on over the tryline following a sustained attack with the clock in the red.
The visitors then thought they had scored early in the second half when replacement loose forward Hanu Pieterse crossed the whitewash after another prolonged spell of pressure, only for the TMO to rule out the try after hooker Bryce Calvert was adjudged to have knocked the ball on in the build-up.
Vowles said those moments proved decisive in the 36-28 defeat.
“If we’d nailed those, there could have been a 14-point swing in the game, which would have shifted the momentum our way.
“If you score just before half-time, you always go into the break feeling positive.
“Missing that opportunity took away a bit of momentum. Then, obviously, we had the try disallowed straight after half-time.”
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Despite sitting with one win from their opening three matches, Vowles insists the Sharks are not far away from putting together a complete performance.
“I just said to the team in the change room that we’ve got to believe the momentum will swing in our favour,’ he said.
“We’ve been highly competitive in all three games and, if one or two things go our way, the result is different.
“In all three matches we’ve been competitive until the last quarter, and then having to chase the game obviously makes it difficult.
“I do feel we’re close.
“It’s still a relatively new group. I know we’re three weeks in, but the more we play together and the more time we spend together, I believe things will turn.
“I’m incredibly proud of the group and the way they keep fighting for the full 80 minutes.”
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Sharks captain Thomas Dyer echoed his coach’s optimism.
“We’ve got a really good leadership group and a great culture,” he said.
“If we are on the back foot, it’s easy to take a step back, focus on the game plan, focus on the system and buy into it.
“Today there were a couple of moments where, if we’d executed better, it could have been a different score.
“We’ve got a lot of belief and a lot of hope. Our heads are high.
“The competition is still young and we’re really looking forward to a couple of home games, backing our set-piece and backing our forwards to keep us going forward.”
The Sharks host the Boland Cavaliers at Kings Park next Saturday.
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
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Coach Mike Vowles believes the Sharks XV are on the verge of getting the rewards their performances deserve.
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