Sharks coach John Plumtree, pleased as he was with the Shield and strong position on the URC standings, admitted they had to work hard after last week’s humbling loss to the Lions at Ellis Park.
"We are a proud bunch, last week our pride got dented by a good team."
"The Lions have arrived on the scene, with their consistency and they are very competitive in all parts of the game now."
"It is a credit to them and their coaches, the way they have gone about their business."
Plumtree said he was proud of how his team responded.
“A week is a long time in rugby. I’m very proud of the boys. They’re a proud bunch and last week our pride got really dented. I’m just proud of the boys for the way we responded to last week; emotionally it’s been a big week for us.”
“It was a war of attrition, one thing written on the board this week was, "Who is prepared to go the hardest for the longest?" And I’m pleased that we hung in and found a way."
"It is a good indicator that we’re heading in the right direction,” Plumtree said on winning their third trophy haul in the past few months.
"I think Marco Masotti will be very proud tonight and have a beautiful bottle of red wine in New York somewhere. He’s done a lot of work and put a lot of time into this franchise, and he loves the South African people, so just a shout-out for him, because it’s not easy."
"We’ve had a lot of injuries this year, there’s been a lot of struggle, and we’re not there yet, but hopefully in the next year or two, we’ll get the right group that will go forward and maybe challenge for some higher honours. I do think we just need to get some bodies back on the field."
