While disappointed with the result, coach JP Pietersen says an understrength side did the Sharks jersey proud against Sale in Manchester.
The KwaZulu-Natalians went down 26-10 in their Investec Champions Cup clash on Saturday night, a result that booked the hosts’ place in the round of 16 while leaving the visitors fifth in Pool 1 with a home match against Clermont to come.
Pietersen left a large Springbok contingent in Durban for the trip north, selecting a youthful, second-string side that nonetheless stayed in the contest for long periods.
After opening the scoring through a Siya Masuku penalty, the Sharks trailed just 7-3 at half-time.
“Obviously we’re disappointed that we didn’t get the result,” Pietersen said on Sunday. “But I’m also proud of the boys for fighting for the full 80 minutes. It’s a young group, but there’s a good mix of youth and experience, and we gave ourselves an opportunity to win the game.
“To be away from home and only 7-3 down at half-time, I just saw the fight in the group.”
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The turning point came early in the second half, when Sale struck twice in quick succession to open a commanding lead.
“There was probably a bit of a lack of concentration in that 15-minute period after half-time,” said Pietersen. “They scored two quick tries, which gave us a bit of a mountain to climb.
“We fought back and got the score to 19-10, and you could see there was belief and hope in the group. Then there was another moment where they scored again and put it a bit out of our reach.
“But if you look at the whole game, I asked the group whether we could fight from minute one to minute 80, and they showed that. We played some good rugby.”
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Despite the defeat, Pietersen believes the performance provided encouragement ahead of Saturday’s pool finale.
“I’m excited about what this group can still give and what they can still do,” he said. “There are a lot of positives we can take from this week into next week when we play Clermont at home.
“I’m obviously disappointed we didn’t get the result, but the boys are making the Sharks jersey proud.”
Photo: Alex Livesey/Getty Images
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