WATCH | Sharks' rise continues under Powell as Werner Kok brings 'WWE skills' to Champions Cup

It may still be early days to say the Sharks are now a well-oiled machine, but the Durban-based franchise seem to be taking good shape under the tutelage of director of rugby Neil Powell.

Since taking over the coaching reins at the Sharks after the sacking of head coach Sean Everitt, Powell has led the side to three back-to-back victories, including two massive wins in the Heineken Champions Cup.

Powell led the Sharks to another big win when they downed Bordeaux 19-16 in their Champions Cup clash in France on Friday.

The Sharks had to dig deep in the final stanza to overturn Bordeaux's 13-9 halftime lead.

A single try by Werner Kok including 14 points from the boot of Curwin Bosch, who also scored a drop goal, secured them victory.  

Their record in the competition is two out of two after they opened their campaign with a win over English side the Harlequins at home last week.

“I think it was a great win for us,” Powell said after the match on Friday.

“I think since we knew that we have to come to Bordeaux and play them here, everybody told us how difficult it is to win away in France against a French team.

“We obviously saw how difficult it is and how much the crowd has an impact on the performance of the Bordeaux team,” he said.

“I think every player that came out, even the international players, on the field know how difficult it was.”

Though the Sharks have managed to register crucial wins over the past three weeks, their discipline is still a problem that needs serious attention.

This after they committed a number of errors and Kok was red-carded early in the first half after his WWE-like suplex on Jean-Baptiste Dubie.

Against the Harlequins, the Sharks were reduced to 13 men in the later stages of that game in Durban.

“It was a good thing for us to get through that game with a positive result even though it was very physical and tough,” Powell said.

“I’m really proud of the boys for how they performed, especially in the second half.

“At half time we said we have to be more in control of the game. I think in the first half we had too many basic errors and maybe we played too much in certain areas of the field.”

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