Wilkins: 'Our backs were against the wall and we fought our way out'
TOUGH PLACE TO WIN: Connacht players celebrate winning a penalty to beat Hollywoodbets Sharks 12-13 in the URC. Pic: Shaun Roy/Sportsfile
Connacht will remain at sea level near Durban for the week and head coach Pete Wilkins intends keeping their feet firmly on the ground as they prepare to face the Bulls next Saturday after their victory over the Sharks.
Wilkins said there will be a buzz in the camp as they prepare for a new week at their base on the coast at Umhlanga, about 25 kilometres north of Durban, following the dramatic win at Kings Park on Saturday which netted them their fourth win out of five URC games this season.
It also maintains their superb record in South Africa which has now seen them win five of their ten league games there and Wilkins knows that taking the scalp of the Bulls would be a major boost before returning home where they will have a run of three Irish derbies and four Champions Cup matches in the next block.
“Sometimes it’s beautiful rugby and sometimes it is character, and this was all about sheer character. We kept working hard off the ball and that kept us in the game. We backed out bench and our fitness as well, plus you have to avoid panicking when they come at you,” said Wilkins.
They intend to have a full training week and only fly up to altitude in Pretoria on Friday for the captain’s run before taking on Jake White’s men at Loftus Versfeld.
“The momentum you get from winning the first game on tour is really important and it will certainly give the lads the belief that even when you are not getting the run of the game all your own way, you can hang in there and dig your way out,” added Wilkins.
“That is something we will have to be mindful of when get to the Bulls encounter. To win over here is tough. You have to earn the right to be in the game with 20 minutes to go. We were on the wrong end of the territory and possession in the first 20, and we spent the next 20 scrambling.
“It is about work ethic off the ball. We pride ourselves on that. Sometimes you can play ambitious, beautiful rugby and other times you have to win by character. Our backs were against the wall and we fought our way out.”
Connacht got a great start when summer signing from the Leinster academy Sean O’Brien drove over for his first try for the province after seven minutes.
Hanrahan added the conversion and while Sharks enjoyed plenty of possession they struggled to find a way through the Connacht defence.
They eventually got over nine minutes from the break when former Springbok Sikhumbuzo Notshe got over to score an unconverted try as Curwin Bosch somehow missed the easy conversion to kickstart a dreadful sequence of errors from the out-half.
Connacht led by double scores at the break when JJ Hanrahan added a penalty to lead 10-5, but they had to withstand enormous pressure after the restart and were grateful for some basic errors in the Sharks’ armoury.
They lost lock Oisin Dowling to a yellow card after 49 minutes and the Sharks scored with a minute through a comedy of errors when Connacht stopped playing presuming a succession of ricochets had resulted in a knock-on and they paid the price when winger Werner Kok raced around to score under the posts, with Bosch converting to edge them 12-10 in front.
But with the Sharks butchering scoring chances from open play and the tee, Connacht struck for the winner 13 minutes from time. Excellent work from David Hawkshaw and replacement hooker Dave Heffernan led to Curwin Bosch bring pinged for holding on after opting to try run from deep through a crowd of players.
Hanarahan kept his nerve to land the difficult penalty from 40 metres on the right to edge them back in front and they held on to condemn the Sharks to a fifth straight defeat.
“We have a good opportunity to beat the Bulls,” added Wilkins. “The outside world might be happy with one win in South Africa but we back ourselves to have a game plan and match 23 that can beat the Bulls.”
: Tries: S Notshe, W Kok. Con: C Bosch.
: Try: S O’Brien. Cons: JJ Hanrahan. Pens: JJ Hanrahan (2).
: A Fassi; W Kok, L Am, F Venter (c) (R Janse van Rensburg 67), A Dyantyi; C Bosch (B Chamberlain 70), C Wright; N Mchunu, D Richardson, C Oosthuizen (H Jacobs 66); C Rahl (J Labuschagne 62), E van Heerden; J Venter, P Buthelezi, S Notshe.
: T O’Halloran; B Ralston, T Farrell, C Forde (D Hawkshaw 41), A Smith (J Porch 30); JJ Hanrahan, C Reilly (C Blade 61); D Buckley (P Dooley 57), T McElroy (D Heffernan 52), F Bealham (D Robertson-McCoy 57); O Dowling, J Joyce (D Murray 60); C Prendergast, C Oliver (c) (S Hurley-Langton 52), S O'Brien.
: C Evans (Wales).
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