Sharks boss satisfied with tour as the team returns home

The Sharks have enjoyed a decent start to the URC with a brace of victories (over Zebre and Dragons) before picking up a loss last weekend against Leinster. All their games thus far have been away and they now return to Durban for two home matches (against Glasgow and Ulster respectively). 

All in all, Head Coach Sean Everitt seems happy with the tour and, despite the loss, appears proud of his troops’ performance against Leinster. 

“The boys tried really hard, the effort was there, the energy they displayed on the field to fight to the end was really good,” he said following the match. 

“Unfortunately, individual errors cost us dearly. 

“We were up against a class outfit, [flyhalf] Johnny Sexton was world class and he put us under enormous pressure. But in saying that, we’re really pleased to have scored five good tries, although we’re not happy to concede 50 points. 

“There were aspects of the game that we have improved on since we played Zebre and the Dragons. 

“Our goal for this tour was to come away with at least 10 points and we achieved that. 

“Not many teams have scored 34 points against Leinster, let alone five tries, so there are a lot of positives to take out of this game and we’ll just continue to grow with this young group,” he added. 

There were a number of big names that were absent from the tour and the squad will be significantly bolstered upon its return with the likes of Eben Etzebeth and Makazole Mapimpi and Bongi Mbonambi being thrown into the mix. After a short trip to Pretoria following the Ulster contest, the Sharks will enjoy a string of four games in Durban before heading overseas again.