On Saturday, the Hollywoodbets Sharks secured a hard-fought 21-12 victory over the Vodacom Bulls in their Vodacom United Rugby Championship South African derby at a sold-out Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban.
Former Springbok wing and current interim Sharks coach JP Pietersen was thrilled with the fighting spirit shown by his team, describing the atmosphere and intensity as electric.
“It felt like a Test match out there,” he said. “The noise, the energy, that means a lot to the players, especially the guys who’ve been here a long time and the younger ones experiencing it for the first time. That kind of support stays with you, and it’s something we can build on.”
He heaped praise on substitute scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse, whose impact off the bench was game-changing.
“A lot was going through my mind in those last 20 minutes. I can’t really recall everything. But I have to give massive credit to Jaden. I think he made four or five big moments in the game that really changed it for us.
“That’s what you want from your bench, energy and impact. When those guys come on and lift the tempo, it makes a massive difference, and Jaden did exactly that today.”
On the team's bravery in attack despite handling errors in tough conditions: “For us to score three tries in those conditions is massive. We still wanted to attack and move the ball, and I loved the bravery to keep giving it a go.”
Pietersen highlighted the defensive effort: “They didn’t score one try, so defensively we were good.”
Acknowledging the Bulls' physicality: “We knew that’s what the Bulls would bring... especially at scrum time. That’s something we’ll keep working on, but the important thing for us was how we stayed in the fight.”