Sharks head on with renewed vigour

A massive win against the Rebels, and a bye-week that might see the return of some crucial players, has got the Sharks upbeat ahead of their vital clash with the Crusaders.

The Sharks managed to run a hapless Rebels side ragged on the weekend and will hope that this week off will allow them to focus entirely on the upcoming fixture against the Crusaders - who are hitting form with back to back wins against South African opposition.

The potential return of Jean Deysel and Tim Whitehead for the Sharks clash with the Crusaders is a massive boost for the conference topping side.

"We should hopefully have Jean Deysel and Tim Whitehead back after the bye - if they are available that will be fantastic because it adds to the depth we have going forward, and there are a few bruised bodies after the game, so the bye comes at a good time," Sharks assistant coach Hugh Reece-Edwards mentioned.

Having the services of Whitehead could prove to be crucial for the Sharks who have lacked a little bit of impetus in the backline.

Whitehead has been the ever-present, solid option at inside-centre for the Sharks since he arrived at the beginning of last season and will add another string to the bow with his strong defensive and passing game.

Bringing back Deysel would be another huge boost to the Sharks because he was playing some great rugby before he got sidelined.

Deysel, was massive in the defensive effort for the Sharks when they beat the Cheetahs and the Stormers and won the man-of-the-match award after a huge performance against the Stormers in Week Two.

Reece-Edwards put the dominant performance against the Rebels down to an increased intensity at training.

"We tweaked a few things at training for the Rebels, we had to. But we had good training before the Brumbies’ game which obviously didn’t show in that game.

"We had a good training week last week and changed a few things which made the guys concentrate a little harder and that adjustment came through in the game," Reece-Edwards explained.

After coming under attack for their inability to score tries, the Sharks will be more relieved after their performance against the Rebels and will hope that they can continue that try scoring form against the tournament’s most decorated team.