Sharks Director of Rugby Gary Gold has admitted that his team need to hold on to the ball more if they are to win more matches.
Gold’s Sharks were beaten 14-19 by the Crusaders in Duban on the weekend although the Crusaders dominance should have seen them win by a bigger margin.
The Sharks scored two tries from intercepts – both by winger Lwazi Mvovo – and they spent most of the match scrambling in defence as the Crusaders attacked and attacked.
The Crusaders had 56% possession and 67% territory and dominated just about all of the statistics in the match but trailed for most of the second half.
The Sharks looked like they might steal the match at 14-12 with 10 minutes remaining but then Kieran Read slipped through and scored for the Crusaders.
The Sharks were forced to make 107 tackles in the match while the Crusaders made just 53.
“You simply can’t play without the ball and we would really not have deserved to win this game,” Gold told Netwerk24 after the match.
“Today we did not earn the right to play and to launch attacks.”
The Crusaders have moved to Johannesburg for this week’s match against the Lions while the Sharks have a bye.
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