Fire against fire as Sharks prepare for Nienaber’s blitz

It was pinpointed by head coach JP Pietersen afterwards but it was really stating the obvious - if there was one concerning area for the Hollywoodbets Sharks in an otherwise positive start to their Vodacom URC campaign against the Ospreys it was their defence.

The Sharks’ attacking game, although as would be expected at the start of a new season and also on a humid day in Durban there were some handling areas, was the talking point afterwards. There was some stupendous off-loading that contributed to some of the tries scored in a 41-24 win over the Welsh team and also some pleasing signs that under the influence of new attack coach Scott Mathie there will be a semblance of shape to the attack.

It provided the Sharks with a lot of confidence as they go in against champions Leinster on Saturday, but given that the Ospreys didn’t have much possession to play with, the fact that they were able to leave Hollywoodbets Kings Park with a bonus point for scoring four tries was the one negative to emerge from a winning start in what for the Sharks was a rare home game beginning to the competitive season.

JOEY TOOK IT PERSONALLY

Joey Mongalo is the defence coach and like all defence coaches he takes defensive lapses personally, and he felt that all four tries on the day were the result of error rather than systemic problems on defence.

“As a defence coach even one try hurts so you can imagine how much four will hurt,” said Mongalo.

“They were all the product of four soft moments, so the one thing I can take out of that game is that the system was in place. When you have a No 9 breaking through space around a ruck that is individual error and not a problem around the system. There were just one or two errors on our side and that cost us.

“At the same time, we know that good teams will score tries, so against a team like Leinster you can’t give them tries (by making mistakes). We want to build a defensive culture here at the Sharks. We want to be known as a team that is hard to score against. We didn’t show that fully last week so we need to sort that out for this week.”

NO SCORING FREEBIES AGAINST LEINSTER

What adds to the task awaiting the Sharks this time around is that Leinster are not URC champions for nothing, and since former Springbok World Cup winning coach Jacques Nienaber has arrived at the Dublin team, they have boasted an excellent defence record. It means that tries will be harder for the Sharks’ attacking game to accumulate than was the case a week ago, something that will contribute to the need to make the eradication of defensive error even more critical.

It is never a case of one defensive coach against another, and obviously the attacking shape and prowess of both teams has a big part to play on how opposing defences will be tested. But Mongalo is looking forward nonetheless to testing himself against a coach who he first coached against when he was at the Lions and Nienaber at the Stormers in 2011.

“There is probably no greater thing in sport than to test yourself against the best,” said Mongalo.

“I was a youngster in 2011 and Jacques was already well established and highly regarded for his work at the Stormers at the time. He is the Godfather of defence. Even back then it was him and then someone like John McFarland (at the Bulls) and Omar (Mounmeine who was also at the Stormers).

“It is not a Joey versus Jacques thing, but I do think it will be a clash between two similar defensive systems. Coaching line speed is an art and Jacques is the high end of what I am still learning. The other Irish team’s approach it by going up and out, but Jacques is different so it should be fire against fire, line-speed against line-speed on Saturday.”

EXPECTING A FULL STRENGTH LEINSTER TEAM

After their good win over the Ospreys the Sharks know they are up against a much stiffer challenge this time around.

“If you look at Leinster they have a huge amount of experience. All their babies played against the Lions last week, so we are expecting a full blown Leinster team. And when they are at full strength they are pretty much Ireland. And they have Jacques Nienaber (a double World Cup winner) as their defence coach. They have an established group of guys.

“But what a privilege it is for our youngsters to go up against them. The thing about youth is that sometimes there’s a bit of ignorance. It isn’t always obvious what is coming (there is less of a fear or respect factor). Our youngsters could surprise themselves and surprise all of us.”