Interim coach JP Pietersen said the Hollywoodbets Sharks will reflect on a series of missed opportunities after their heartbreaking 23-22 loss to the Lions, but he refused to blame the loss on any single factor or player.
Pietersen stressed that the team will "live and learn" from the experience, as they look to build cohesion and reduce individual errors in their young squad.
Pietersen praised his team's fight and character to come back from an early 15-0 deficit, and felt they had enough chances to win the game.
“We need to be in the game from minute one if we want to close out tight matches like this.”
“To come back from 15-0 down and still be in the game like that, I’m extremely proud of the boys. They fought hard and gave everything. It was a proper local derby, unpredictable and intense.”
“The 10 minutes after half-time, we probably dominated. We just couldn’t convert the opportunities we created.”
The Sharks turned down several kickable penalties late in the match in favour of pushing for a decisive try, a decision that proved costly when the Lions scored after the hooter. Pietersen would not say this decision defined the game, emphasising that in hindsight the three points would have made sense.
“I won’t say it was costly. We had two disallowed tries, and if we had scored those two tries, or if you go for the scrum and Andre scores, it’s a different story. It’s part of the game, and we live and learn.”
“In hindsight, we take the three points, they miss the kick, and we win, so it makes sense. I won’t say that is the defining moment of the game.”
Pietersen highlighted two disallowed tries and other clear scoring opportunities that were not executed, stating that if those tries had been scored, the outcome would have been different.
“It’s rugby, it’s unpredictable. As I said, it’s a local derby. You must give credit to the Lions; they’ve been good. When they got opportunities, they finished them, and it was just a good game of rugby.”
Flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse missed three conversion attempts, which ultimately proved crucial in the narrow one-point loss. However, Pietersen refused to point fingers at the missed conversions, noting that other potential points were also lost.
“I won’t say it was costly. We had two clear try-scoring opportunities. If you score those tries, the story is different. In hindsight, yes, you take the three points, that makes sense, but I wouldn’t say that defined the game.”
“I also don’t think we must point fingers at the missed conversions. We scored tries that were pulled back, and that’s potentially 10 points as well. It’s not about one player.”
