Not even extensive travel, tough conditions or a passionate home crowd could dent the Cell C Sharks’ Heineken Champions Cup aspirations as they defeated Bordeaux Bègles 19-16 on Friday evening.
Cell C Sharks Director of Rugby Neil Powell admitted afterwards that, “It was a great win for us, especially knowing we’d have to come to Bordeaux – everyone told us how difficult it would be winning away in France against a French team.
“We also saw how much of an impact on the performance the crowd there has on the home team.”
Man of the Match Thomas du Toit summed it up, saying the match against their French opposition was “Physical, very, very physical,” and Powell added that, “Every player who came off the field, even the international players, talked about how tough it was, so it’s good to have got through that game with a positive result, even though it was really physical and tough. The win puts us in a good position to get to the knock-out stages and hopefully with the two remaining games, we can secure a home game in the round of 16.”
Despite trailing at half-time, the Cell C Sharks came out invigorated and focused in the second half, setting up the coup de grâce that delivered a second successive victory in the tournament and keeps them unbeaten – one of only four teams with a 100% success rate.
“I’m really proud of the boys, especially in the second half. At half-time we spoke about being in control of the game more after there were too many basic errors in the first half and maybe playing too much in certain areas of the field where we could have been better in pinning them in their half.
“Credit to the guys, they were a lot more accurate in the second half, more clinical and definitely showed a lot more control in terms of how we wanted to play and what we wanted to achieve.
“The turning point for me was that first defensive set in the second half where we really got some good, positive hits, where we were really physical on defence and then got the turn-over.
“How the guys reacted to what was said at half-time was really amazing and they showed it in their actions. We must also pay credit to the coaching and medical staff who prepared the players, this was a massive system effort that got us the reward.
“We will probably only understand how important this win was in a few years from now, when we come back to France to play French teams.”
With Heineken Champions Cup rugby now taking a brief respite to allow for the continuation of Vodacom United Rugby Championship commitments, the Cell C Sharks take on the Emirates Lions at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Friday night.
“This win was important and adds to the confidence we will take from the last few performances into the URC. But we have to shift focus, put this win behind us and start focusing on the Lions. We need to ensure that we prepare well and step up our performance.”