Can Jake make his White Sharks great?

“Believe in the power of black and white,” the team urged us every time we switched on a TV this year. Now that they need it, it seems no one took notice.
The Sharks are playing in this year’s Super Rugby playoffs, but we only say that because we’ve seen it written down on this weekend’s fixtures list.
There was certainly nothing from Sharks fans this week that would make us believe their team still has a shot at the title.
Humble and withdrawn, they’ve been nothing like the boisterous crowd we’ve come to know and love through the years.
Perhaps they are just being cautious. It won’t be completely out of place given what they’ve been through in this competition. Their team has, after all, been in the same number of finals as the three-time champions Bulls, but has no silverware to show for it. There is enough heartache there to inspire a whole Billy Ray Cyrus album.
They haven’t always set the world alight with ball in hand this year either. After completion of the regular season only the Bulls have scored fewer tries than them and only the Bulls have made fewer clean breaks. Kicking the white off the ball is the only thing the stats book says they got right this year.
This coming weekend’s fixture against the Highlanders doesn’t look to be a walk in the park either. Earlier this year these self-same South Islanders gave them a 34-18 kick in the groin in Durban. The results list will show you that their eyes watered for at least another fortnight.
Here at the SuperWrap desk we’re having none of that, though. We don’t care what the fans think. We believe the Sharks have a genuine chance to win the competition this year and we’re going to tell you why.
They have the odds stacked against them, sure, but they also have six things in their favour. Let’s see what they are:
1. Coaching
Love him or hate him, Jake White knows how to get a team to the business end of a season. He coached the Brumbies to a final last year, a team that isn’t half as good as the Sharks on paper. This year he’d fully expect to go one better.
He is the only coach in South Africa that has tasted playoff success in the last four years, with his most famous victory coming as his team flew from Australia to come and beat the Bulls in Pretoria. Clearly venues and reputations mean very little to him.
2. Massive pack
The Sharks have the strongest pack in the competition, and with most of their key players having had a rest now, it’s a pack that should be firing on all cylinders.
Playoff rugby is won on the smallest of margins. Having the edge upfront could very well be the difference that swings matters in your favour.
3. Best defence
The Sharks may not have scored a lot of tries this year, but no one was in games they were playing. Their defence was by far the competition’s best, conceding a mere 22 tries in 16 matches.
Super Rugby is strange in that it is normally the best attacking team that wins it, but a good defence will always be worth its weight in gold. It keeps you in matches you shouldn’t be in, and Frans Steyn’s boot can win a close game from almost anywhere.
4. Psychological advantage
Yes, the Sharks were beaten by the Highlanders at home, but if they are to get past that hurdle things look much better. In the semifinals they will face a Crusaders side that they beat with only 14 men away from home. In a final they are most likely to face a Waratahs side that they hammered 32-10 earlier this season.
Of course it’s not impossible to turn results around, but going into a playoff match knowing that your opponent is beatable counts for a lot.
5. Good travellers
On only four occasions out of the 36 Super Rugby semifinals we’ve had so far did a team manage to fly across the Indian Ocean in the week to win. Two of those four miracles belong to the Sharks.
They are a team that doesn’t seem to mind flying.
In 2012 they made the final having flown across all those time zones three times. First they flew over to Brisbane to play the Reds off their feet. Then they flew to Cape Town to do the same to a high-flying Stormers outfit. It is only on their third trip across the big blue in three weeks that they started to show some weariness.
The most they are expected to fly across the Indian in this year’s playoffs series is once. If it happens that they do it twice it will be because they are hosting a final.
6. Playoff experience
The bulk of the Sharks squad has at least two Super Rugby playoff wins under their belts after winning through to that 2012 final. In the last two years it’s only the Chiefs and the Brumbies out of this year’s contenders that can claim the same, and the Sharks are unlikely to face either.
There you go then Sharks fans, no reason to be so glum. You’ve been in worse positions going into a playoff series and you’ve always put up one hell of a fight. This year will be no different.
Here are our teams of the week:
Note: our weekly teams are selected on the past weekend's action only, so overall season form is not a factor. Players in teams with a bye are then obviously not considered.
Super XV for Week 19:
15. Israel Dagg (Crusaders), 14. Lionel Mapoe (Lions), 13. Malakai Fekitoa (Highlanders), 12. Paul Jordaan (Sharks), 11. Nemani Nadolo (Crusaders), 10. Handre Pollard (Bulls), 9. Charl McLeod (Sharks), 8. Kieran Reid (Crusaders), 7. Matt Todd (Crusaders), 6. Jaco Kriel (Lions), 5. Brodie Retallick (Chiefs), 4. Paul Willemse (Bulls), 3. Julian Redelinghuys (Lions), 2. Adriaan Strauss (Cheetahs), 1. Schalk van der Merwe (Lions).
Bok Barometer for Week 19:
15. SP Marais (Sharks), 14. Lionel Mapoe (Lions), 13. Stokkies Hanekom (Lions), 12. Paul Jordaan (Sharks), 11. Francois Hougaard (Bulls), 10. Handre Pollard (Bulls), 9. Charl McLeod (Sharks), 8. Warren Whiteley (Lions), 7. Schalk Burger (Stormers), 6. Jaco Kriel (Lions), 5. Ruan Botha (Stormers), 4. Paul Willemse (Bulls), 3. Julian Redelinghuys (Lions), 2. Adriaan Strauss (Cheetahs), 1. Schalk van der Merwe (Lions).
Match of the week:
It was a week for big scores with every single winning team scoring at least 34 points on the day. This means every match played during round 19 could have been our match of the week.
In the end we had to go with the highest score and give the award to the Lions and Cheetahs for their thrilling encounter at Ellis Park.