Gold wants to make Kings Park a fortress
Sharks Director of Rugby Gary Gold said he wants to turn Kings Park into a fortress for the Super Rugby season.
|||Durban - Sharks Director of Rugby Gary Gold said on Friday he wants to turn Kings Park into a fortress for the Super Rugby season and is looking to fans getting behind them starting on Saturday night when they play the Jaguares.
Gold explained that playing at home was significant for the team and their campaign.
“This home game is important for a number of reasons, but particularly because they're in our group and one of the teams we are tussling with to be able to qualify. “It's also important for us to make our home ground our fortress, to establish Kings Park as a tough place to come and play and in the process, to impress our own supporters. You also want to get some traction going, to get some wins under the belt.”
Looking at the Jaguares, he warns that his team are preparing for this game as if it were a test match, such is the respect they hold for their Argentine opposition.
“There are 10 to 12 guys who went to a World Cup and were part of the team that reached the semifinal, they're the real deal,” he pointed out. “They play with real intensity and incredible freedom and they can hurt you from an attack point of view.”
There is no doubt that the Jaguares are a dangerous side and one not likely to lie down and play dead when things go against them. Against the Cheetahs last week, they overhauled a 21 point deficit to win the match after suffering two yellow cards and conceding 17 unanswered points when they were down to 13 men for 10 minutes.
The Jaguares are one of two new sides to the competition and the addition of a new country to the tournament brings a new level of excitement, something alluded to by captain Beast Mtawarira who expects a massive clash.
“A good start is important and we need to get stuck in right from the beginning. But we need to remain composed and keep our discipline in a match that will be hugely competitive.”
Another area to be keenly contested will be at scrum time, this set-piece an important area for both sides.
“It's always a formidable challenge when you go up against the Argies, they have a real scrummaging mentality, but we're focusing on our processes and on ourselves, we want to make sure we do what we need to and make sure we bring it from our side.”
His coach agrees that ultimately, aside from respecting your opposition, as a team, it's also what you bring to the table.
“It's also about what we do with ball in hand; we need to control the game, we need to be masters of our own destiny,” added Gold. “We can't be constantly concerned with what the opposition is going to do. We are going to have to be clinical in how we execute our plays.” - African News Agency (ANA)