The hallmark of any good rugby side is the belief that no matter what has happened during a match, there is always a chance to win the game, and it is this belief and the character shown by the Hollywoodbets Sharks that secured a well-deserved Carling Currie Cup victory over Toyota Free State on Saturday.
The visiting Hollywoodbets Sharks pretty much led throughout and looked certain victors towards the latter stages of the game, showing resilience against a team that is highly respected, particularly at home where many a visiting team has come unstuck.
In the last 10 minutes when Free State nudged ahead for the first time in the match and with the Hollywoodbets Sharks down to 14 men, things started looking down for the visitors, but the self-belief shown, and the fight they gave, was enough to come back and win the game.
“When we went down, it was about playing in the right areas and to play in their half,” explains captain Nick Hatton.
“With this group, we have belief, we knew if we got in the right areas and had an opportunity, we could take it. We knew we were just one score away, we believed and we fought and fortunately we took the opportunity.”
Coach JP Pietersen had said on the eve of the match that all he could ask for from his young charges was an 80-minute performance and lots of effort. In the context of the way the team fought for every inch and ultimately the match-winning try, it is evident there was no lack of ambition, effort or commitment.
“Coming to Bloem, we always knew what a fight we would have on our hands and it was going to take an 80-minute performance,” the young captain points out. “And down to 14 men in the last 10, we knew we had to fight even more and keep believing.
“I knew if we got into their half, we would back ourselves, we fought to the 80th minute and fortunately we got an opportunity we could take.”
Unbeaten in the past four matches, the Hollywoodbets Sharks are confident ahead of the next round, travelling to Cape Town to take on DHL Western Province who have lost their last two matches and will certainly be up for this game and an opportunity to close the gap on the top four.
While the Hollywoodbets Sharks will take the momentum gained in the last month forward into this match, it’s nevertheless important to stay composed.
“The belief is always there, but we’re not underestimating them at all, going down to Cape Town is going to be another big challenge for us.
“But I think we definitely have quite a bit to work on, we pulled this one off, but the game against Province is another big one to get up for and we will come up with a good plan, keep the belief and keep fighting.”