Acid test for Sharks' defensive progress

Cell C Sharks director of rugby Gary Gold was the first to agree after the eight try mauling by the Crusaders at the start of the month that his team’s defensive game was nowhere close to where it should be.



Gold was reluctant to point fingers at anyone in his management team, but from the time when he arrived in Durban from Japan in the early part of February, it was clear to him that there were aspects of the defence that desperately needed sorting out.

The season was upon him though before he could draw breath, and the Cheetahs were quick to exploit that vulnerability in scoring th…