Following his team’s thrilling, and in the latter stages, nail-biting, finish to their 26-24 bonus point victory over the Airlink Pumas away from home in their opening Carling Currie Cup clash of 2026, Head coach Mike Vowles praised his side’s tenacity and bravery in holding out against a strong opponent who, like the Hollywoodbets Sharks, never gave up.
“I just want to acknowledge the fight and the character of the group to stay in the game and finish it off like we did,” he acknowledged after the victory in Mbombela.
“The one thing we have spoken about as a team is our connection and our ability to really work hard for one another and I really think that this performance was more than just about rugby, it was about a team that was connected and really cared deeply for each other which I think is a fantastic indictment on our leadership group,” Vowles explained.
Looking at the match specifics, he identified certain areas worthy of consideration and praise.
“I felt that we didn’t start particularly well, we were under pressure for the first 20 minutes, but we weathered that storm quite well, and then got a foothold in the game.
“I think our kicking game set us up for a couple of really good opportunities that we were able to convert to build the lead, and we knew, going into half-time, that the Airlink Pumas would come back with a big response, that they would come out firing and we’d need to weather that.
“I don’t think we necessarily managed the game that well in that first 20 of the second half, but we stayed in it, we fought and there was incredible effort by the team to stick to the system and to keep calm under some real pressure.”
Vowles felt that the fight and determination of the group and the character shown was “Massive and something we’re incredibly proud of.”
Special mention was given to Carling Champion Man of the Match Lyle Matthews who capped off his debut with a hat-trick of tries and certainly put his hand up when given the chance to do so.
“Lyle joined us from Hillcrest Villages where he was playing club rugby, his performances there earned him a call-up to our squad and I’m just so happy that he took his opportunity to produce what he did.
“He’s a special talent, and more importantly, the most unbelievable human being, so his success is fantastic and I’m so happy for him.”
Wins in the tournament are important, but not as crucial as away victories, which the coach acknowledged as well.
“We understand the magnitude of this result, winning away from home in Mbombela is special, but we are under no illusions that there is still work to do, we know we’re not quite where we want to be and there are some fixes we need to put in place this week to ensure we deliver a good performance against the Toyota Cheetahs next Friday.
“But we’ll take a lot of confidence out of this performance and we’ve learned some valuable lessons as a group. We’ll just get better and better as the competition goes.
“One of the key things about our team is around showing each other how much we care and I think that was at the heart of this performance, a team that really cares for one another, cares for the badge and cares for the union.”
