DURBAN – Not surprisingly, Sharks coach Sean Everitt has sung the praises of halfbacks Lionel Cronje and Grant Williams after the pair orchestrated a memorable turnaround for their team on Friday night when the Bulls were beaten35-28 a week following a shocking loss to Griquas.
The Sharks had been very poor in losing at home to the men from Kimberley, and even at half time against the Bulls they were still nowhere, but in the third quarter of the match, Cronje and Williams sprung into action and the Bulls were blown away by a three-try burst in seven minutes.
Everitt said that the first half had been a nightmare for him because his team gave away 13 penalties and did most of the defending
“We were always going to bounce back against the Bulls after that horrendous performance against Griquas but in the first half we gave away penalty after penalty and that meant no possession, momentum or scoring opportunities,” he said.
Cronje made a big difference at flyhalf in replacing the out-of-form Curwin Bosch.
“Lionel is an experienced player, he has been around the block and has been playing well in Japan for the last five years,” Everitt said. “He adds value with his experience. I am not taking anything away from the flyhalves we have here at the Sharks but sometimes an old head under pressure makes better decisions, and that is how life works. I am very pleased with how Lionel went. Grant Williams gave him very good service, so he had a platform to showcase his talents.”
Williams had an exceptional game, scoring a try and creating others with his pace and skills.
“is an electric player so yes he sparked the team, if you will pardon the pun,” Everitt smiled. “I am thrilled for him because he had two years of adversity. He had injury after injury and played club rugby for Rovers when he wasn’t getting opportunities in the Sharks jersey.
“This year he has taken his opportunities with both hands. He is probably one of our hardest workers so it was really nice to see him get Man of the Match. I think he is the quickest scrumhalf in South African rugby — he is not far behind Makazole Mapimpi over 40m.”
IOL Sport