Sharks coach JP Pietersen was pleased with his side’s conversion rate inside the Stormers’ 22 at Kings Park on Saturday.
The KwaZulu-Natalians ran in five tries in a 36-24 Vodacom URC win that lifted them from 11th to eighth on the log and consigned the Stormers to a second successive coastal derby defeat.
While the contest ebbed and flowed early on, Pietersen was encouraged by how clinical his side became once they applied sustained pressure.
“When we got into the 22 today, we were brutal,” he said. “We converted points. It was the same in Cape Town [last week] – when we got into the 22 we were direct, aggressive and we came away with points. That was pleasing.”
REPORT: Sharks do derby double over Stormers
The Sharks were forced to come from behind twice, but Pietersen felt his players showed the fight and intent he has been demanding since replacing John Plumtree.
“That’s what I asked from the boys today,” he said. “When I took over, we weren’t in a great place. What I want to see is fight – not talking, but doing – and making the badge proud. You could see that in the second half.”
KEO: JP Pietersen & his street-smart Sharks school stuttering Stormers
Pietersen also highlighted the importance of discipline and territory management, particularly against a Stormers side that threatened regularly without fully capitalising.
“What pleased me was that we didn’t give away soft penalties like we did last week away, where teams got easy entries into our 22,” he said. “Today we were better at not giving them those entries. They went for goal, but we managed that pressure better.”
Sharks winger Jaco Williams was a key contributor, scoring twice – including a decisive late try when he chased down a kick into the Stormers’ in-goal area and grounded the ball ahead of fullback Warrick Gelant.
POLL: Should this try have been awarded?
“You don’t need to chase that kick – you could stop and let it go – but he chased it anyway and got a try from it,” Pietersen said. “That just shows what it means to the group. It shows that we care for each other.”
The Sharks now take a break, with their next URC assignment away to the Lions at Ellis Park on 21 February, followed by a clash with the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld a week later.
ALSO: Dobbo, Sacha rue ill-discipline
Pietersen welcomed the chance for his players to reset after bruising derbies.
“We definitely need some time off,” he said. “We’ve played two very physical games back to back and the boys were sore from last week. These 10 to 12 days will be important for recovery.”
Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images
