Four first-half tries, a first opening-round win in the competition and a breakout night for Janco Purchase and Luan Giliomee. JP Pietersen reflects on the start of a new era.
Hollywoodbets Sharks head coach JP Pietersen was delighted with the way his side launched their Vodacom United Rugby Championship campaign, securing a convincing bonus-point victory over the Ospreys at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Saturday.
The result marked a historic first-round victory for the Hollywoodbets Sharks in the competition and provided an exciting opening statement from a team that has embraced a new era under Pietersen.
“Looking at our team, it’s a young backline and an experienced pack, but as a coaching unit we were a bit nervous, hoping to see them build and play with cohesion,” he explained after the match.
“Six minutes into the game there was some backwards and forwards before something happened because of individual brilliance.
“So, I’m very pleased with the performance and pleased to get a win at home. I think this was the first time the Hollywoodbets Sharks have ever won their first game in the competition, so it’s a good start.”
While the priority was always to get the season off to a winning start, the manner in which the Sharks attacked the Ospreys made the result even more encouraging. Four first-half tries earned the team a bonus point before the break and showcased the attacking intent and ambition that will be central to their campaign.
“I said before the game if we won ugly, I’d be happy with four points, but we got five points out of this game and we’ll take that,” said Pietersen. “This is a tough competition, and when we got opportunities we scored points to put Ospreys under pressure.”
The Sharks also showed the depth within their squad when a late change brought Janco Purchase into the starting line-up at inside centre, with Murray Koster ruled out with a minor back niggle.
Purchase formed an exciting partnership with Jurenzo Julius and took his opportunity with both hands, earning praise from his coach.
“Janco did everything right coming in at the last minute and it just shows how professional he is,” said Pietersen. “He has a book in which he writes everything down, he’s well-prepared and he’s a smart kid who just wants it. You could see in his performance, he grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
“It’s great and we can compliment the junior system that builds confidence and equips the players to come through, and when they get an opportunity at URC level, they take it, as he did.
“I thought he came close to a man of the match performance.”
Another player who made a significant impact was fullback Luan Giliomee, who was rewarded with the Player of the Match accolade following an outstanding attacking display.
Giliomee repeatedly found space, challenged the Ospreys defence and provided an exciting attacking spark throughout the encounter.
“He’s an exceptional talent, he understands the game, he understands space, he has speed and a kicking game,” said Pietersen. “He’s unbelievable.”
With the opening victory providing an important confidence boost, the Sharks now turn their attention to another major challenge when they welcome defending champions Leinster to Hollywoodbets Kings Park this weekend.
For Pietersen, the focus is on building on the positive foundations established in the opening round.
“The stats will show there were a lot of handling errors, but when you have front foot ball, you want to move it around, and we conceded four tries, so we want to be better there because we know the quality we will play when we meet Leinster.
“But that’s something we can fix, it was more about individual errors rather than system errors.
“Leinster are the defending champions and we have a lot of respect for them, but that’s next week’s problem. We scored four tries in the first half and that gives us plenty of confidence that our attack is working well.”
The Sharks’ opening-round performance provided plenty of reasons for optimism, with a blend of youthful energy, experienced leadership, attacking ambition and squad depth coming together to deliver a memorable start.
Now, with five points in the bag and confidence building, the Hollywoodbets Sharks can look forward to another exciting challenge on home soil as they continue their journey into a new era.
