What former Bok coach NICK MALLETT had to say on SuperSport about the past weekend’s Super Rugby matches involving South African teams.
Waratahs vs Lions
‘What was really impressive about this game was the first 20 minutes when the Lions had no ball. They had no ball but defended outstandingly.
‘At the beginning of the season, they were scoring six tries but allowed the opposition to score five or six as well. In this game to nil a team away from home is an outstanding achievement.’
WATCH: Waratahs vs Lions highlights
Sharks vs Stormers
‘I think it was very frenetic early on and guys were pushing passes when they couldn’t see the support runner. The error rate in this game was dreadful, it really was. There were so many handling errors, poor decision-making and that first half was not pleasant to watch.
‘It was two teams who, quite frankly, are desperate for the win but they don’t concern themselves with how they do it, they just want to win.
‘That was a good counter-attack from the Stormers at the end of the first half. But before that, I guarantee you, what both coaches have said is: “Let’s play for territory, we need to get out of our half and play in their half.” So we are seeing guys like [Damian] Willemse and [Curwin] Bosch focusing on kicking it downfield because they are told if they make a mistake in the opposition half they won’t get punished.
WATCH: Sharks vs Stormers highlights
‘The second half was perhaps a little bit slower in terms of line speed and guys had more time to get passes away. We saw some very good tries in that second half and it was a very exciting finish.
‘The win was probably deserved by the Sharks, given that try from Sbu Nkosi was disallowed for a knock-on. But the Stormers had three really good opportunities to try and get a draw.
‘It was a far better second half, that is all we can say. But the Bulls performance against the Rebels was the most impressive performance of the day and obviously, the Lions were outstanding.’
Note: Mallett and the SuperSport team did not discuss the Bulls’ win in detail
WATCH: Bulls vs Rebels highlights
Photo: Steve Haag/Getty Images
