With a place in the Carling Currie Cup play-offs guaranteed, it would be easy for the Cell C Sharks to take the pressure off in their match against DHL Western Province, given that they have already booked a home semi-final with the final round of pool games left to play.
But in professional sport, the easy route is a recipe for disaster and if DHL Western Province come to Jonsson Kings Park hoping for an easy win in which to elevate themselves into the top four, they might not find the going that hospitable.
With Province coming to Durban as a team desperate to perform and rise above their position of fifth on the log to secure a place in the semis, Everitt won’t be drawn into Province’s current situation, explaining that if they shift focus off themselves and onto their opposition, they sew the seeds of their own destruction.
“This game is about us,” he said, “we’re preparing for things a lot bigger than this Saturday – the play-offs and the URC – and there are individuals desperate for selection in the match 23 for the semi-final game next week as well as to be on the plane to go on tour. So it’s an opportunity for them to put their hands up as form players to make selection for both those squads.
“At the same time, I believe that we’re on an upward curve, we’ve gained momentum over the last three weeks with wins over the Bulls, Cheetahs and Lions so we’d like to keep that form going forward.
“Regardless of where we are on the log and the position we hold, we want to continue performing consistently. We’ve had a few ups and down since I’ve been in charge of the team and for us that’s unacceptable. I think our will to perform is what motivates us for Saturday.”
Defence wins games and the fact that the Cell C Sharks have the best defensive record speaks volumes about how the team is evolving into a complete, well-balanced side. Once again they will be looking to maintain this effort against Province who are the joint top try-scoring team in the competition.
“We’re really happy with where we’ve come from to where we are and to keep the Lions down to only two tries was a magnificent effort from the team last week,” Everitt admitted, “and hopefully we’ll just grow from strength to strength in this department.”
Aside from their do-or-die approach to this game, Western Province are always up for matches against the Cell C Sharks.
“We’ve mixed the team up a bit, there are combinations we’d like to retain going into the semi-finals and final, but there are certain guys who were out with Covid protocols and we’ve brought them back into the fold to give them game time,” Everitt explained of his team selection which was more about them and less about the opposition, although some consideration was made in this regard.
“We know Western Province have a formidable front row and the rotation in the tight five is to try negate that strength of theirs.
“Province are a proud franchise, they won’t be happy with where they are and they’ll see an opportunity to get five points out of this game to knock either the Pumas or Griquas out of the competition.
“I’m sure they’re going to come here and give it their all and maybe play a bit more rugby than they’re used to in the quest for the bonus point.”