Round 1 of Super Rugby is done and dusted and it was not the result the Southern Kings hoped for when they played the Cell C Sharks in Port Elizabeth this past Saturday.
The home side gave the Sharks a good run for their money in the first 40 minutes, as Chris Cloete scored the first try of the match to give his team a five point lead after nine minutes. Elgar Watts managed to add a penalty as they trailed 8 - 15 at the break.
Despite 28 unanswered points in the second half, Sharks coach Gary Gold praised the Southern Kings for their first half performance.
"Credit must go to the Kings for the way they played in the first half, they made life difficult for us", said Gold.
He added it was good to be back in Port Elizabeth to experience the excitement and fanfare Super Rugby brings.
"I always felt it was never going to be straight forward against a team which I thought were very courageous today."
Gold said he believe the Southern Kings will only get better as the competition progresses.
"The guys have been together for such a short period of time, they will only get better the more they stick together and the more they play together. You could see by the things they did today they look like a team that is well coach, they know what they are doing. Their set pieces were quite good and that's a clear sign of the coaching they have had. I think they are just going to get better and better."
The Southern Kings have a bye this weekend, but will be back at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on the 12th of March when they face the Chiefs in their second match.
loved being at the stadium and will be there again next game. backline quality is a concern
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it Dawie, let's hope we can get a few wins at home
DeleteMy concern is 9 need back up in the midfield, Watermeyer still to slot in and back 3. Cooke, Whitehead, Marais and v Breda would have made a huge diff.
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