‘A disappointing feeling’: Pietersen turns sight to URC
· Citizen
Sharks coach JP Pietersen has turned his sights to the United Rugby Championship after his side’s Challenge Cup last-16 exit on Friday night.
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The Sharks fell 29-12 to Connacht, unable to build on four Jean Smith penalties in the first half that gave them a 12-7 lead at the break.
Instead, the Irish side scored three tries and a penalty and kept the Sharks scoreless in the second half to secure the win in wet and windy Galway.
It ended the Sharks’ run in the EPCR after dropping out of the higher-tier Champions Cup with two wins out of four in the pool stages.
It was something of a repeat of last year, when the Sharks dropped out of the Champions Cup pool stage with just one win, and lost 34-21 to Lyon in the Challenge Cup last-16.
Then-coach John Plumtree rested about a dozen Springboks and frontline players for the knockout, while Pietersen went without several due to injuries this year.
Still, Springboks Vincent Koch, Ox Nché, Edwill van der Merwe, Vincent Tshituka, Ethan Hooker, Makazole Mapimpi and returning lock Eben Etzebeth lent their talents to the team but were unable to turn the result.
‘Lack of concentration’
“We are obviously disappointed to finish the second half like that,” Pietersen said.
“We set ourselves up with a good first half to dominate territory and possession. A lack of concentration and discipline let us down, giving away penalties so they could kick into the corners and put us under pressure.
“They took their opportunities when they came into our 22.”
He said he wished the Sharks could have converted more opportunities in the first half to give themselves a bigger lead at the break.
“They defended well. It’s a disappointing feeling.”
However, Pietersen said the Sharks could take confidence from their first-half performance in tough conditions, with two of their four remaining URC matches to be played in potentially similar wet and windy conditions away to Ospreys and Edinburgh.
“And… we didn’t give up. We could have easily lost by 50 points with the possession and territory Connacht had. To stay in the fight until the last minute shows there is grit and fight in the group.”
Sharks seek 80-minute performance
He said a full 80-minute performance had eluded the Sharks this season. They had been “very up and down in consistency”, but would need to sort that out before taking on Ospreys on 18 April.
After Edinburgh the following week, the Sharks return home to play Benetton and Zebre.
The Sharks are 10th on the URC table with five wins from 14 games. They have 33 points, six points adrift of ninth-placed Connacht and seven behind eighth-placed Bulls.
Pietersen said they will review the game and identify strong points and work-ons, while needing to make a plan for injuries.
“We’ll go again for the last four, and go all out. It’s an opportunity for us to get 20 points to set us up for a possible top-eight finish.”