Sharks need to cut out numerous turnovers

Although the Sharks top the Currie Cup standings‚ coach Robert du Preez was rightfully dissatisfied after his side’s 45-15 win over the Free State Cheetahs at the weekend.

It was a match that was technically a top-of-the-table clash despite the Free Staters fielding a team made up mostly of Varsity Cup players.

The Sharks’ seven tries duly won the game comfortably but they left so many points on the table through poor decisions and bad execution that the coach was worried.

The previous week the Sharks had completely dominated the match against Western Province but only won 21-20 as they left a slew of points on the field through handling errors and wrong options.

That aspect of their game hardly improved against the Cheetahs‚ and had the Sharks been up against a stronger team‚ the outcome could have been different.

They made 45 handling errors in dry conditions against Free State – a simply unacceptable number at any level.

"Overall‚ there are still a few things I’m not happy about like the number of turnovers we conceded and also not converting our opportunities in the oppositions’ 22‚" Du Preez said.

"The Cheetahs fielded a lot of Varsity Cup players and they really made us work hard for every single point.

"Nonetheless‚ the boys put in a lot of hard work especially during the week leading up to the game.”

The ball was in play for an unusually high 43 minutes‚ which was an aspect that benefitted the Sharks and underlined their good fitness at this stage of the campaign.

"The Cheetahs match was a great fitness test‚ in particular‚ heading to the Pumas‚” Du Preez said.

"I know it is going to be a tough encounter but lucky for us there are no injuries and we will have Curwin Bosch back which will inject something different to the team.”