Sharks will stick to attacking rugby - Du Preez
The Currie Cup semi-finals did not feature the Sharks but that will not deter them from sticking to attacking rugby in 2017, come what may.
|||The Currie Cup semi-finals did not feature the Sharks for the second year in a row but that will not deter them from sticking to attacking rugby in 2017, come what may.
That was the message from coach Robert du Preez when he addressed the media ahead of the Sharks’ seven-week conditioning period before the Christmas break.
One thing is for certain, the Sharks will be super fit and they will be improved in the skills department.
Du Preez is a tough task matter and he said that come what may, the Sharks will be fitter and better equipped to handle an attack-focussed playing pattern when they open their 2017 Super Rugby account against the Reds in Brisbane in February.
“South Africans have taken a long time to wake up and smell the roses as to how the game should be played in the modern era,” Du Preez said. “Surely you want to have the ball in hand and play rugby as opposed to tackling all day. At the Sharks, we certainly know how we want to play next season and while people might be getting tired of hearing us saying that we want to play positive rugby, that is the way we are going, and we won’t budge...”
Du Preez said that if his charges were going to run teams off the park, then they would have to be fitter than them. The All Blacks are an obvious example of how to slaughter tiring teams in the final quarter of the match.
“Aerobic fitness and concentration on basic handling skills is the chief focus ahead of Super Rugby,” Du Preez said.
But while the Sharks are committed to running rugby, kicking is a vital part of the tactical game and former Springbok flyhalf Braam van Straaten has been brought in as consultant. Van Straaten worked with the Wallabies and the New South Wales Waratahs for a number of seasons after his retirement as a player and is hugely respected as a kicking coach.
While the nucleus of the Super Rugby squad will come from the squad that failed to make the Currie Cup semi-finals, Du Preez is adamant that foundations have been laid.
“We are still hurting from not making the semi-finals but if you look at what has been put in place, and we keep this squad together, there are exciting times ahead for the Sharks. It is a team game, of course, but if you add in key senior players such as Patrick Lambie and Cobus Reinach, it changes the complexion of the backline.
“And a player of the quality of Clement Poitrenaud can make a big impact on our youngsters,” Du Preez added.
The 34-year-old Frenchman has been recruited on a one-year-contract to mentor the youngsters in the Sharks backline, particularly in the art of attacking rugby.
“The first thing for Clement is to establish himself in the side and then we are looking to him to mentor our young players (such as Curwin Bosch),” Du Preez said. “The Sharks have a long history of French players adding serious value to the team ( going back to Du Preez’s playing days when Olivier Roumat, and Thierry Lacroix injected flair in the ‘90s ), and latterly Frederic Michalak made a valuable impact.”
Independent Media