Honest talks spark Sharks’ gritty Champions Cup revival

SHARKS captain Andre Esterhuizen says “honest conversations” among the players last week laid the foundation for the Sharks’ gritty victory over Saracens in a Champions Cup match at Kings Park.

- MIKE GREENAWAY

Esterhuizen led from the front and was named Player of the Match as he teamed up impressively with Ethan Hooker in midfield. Hooker was not far behind his captain in the voting.

“Tm proud of the boys for the way we got stuck in. It was tough, it was tight, my voice is almost gone from screaming on defence,’ Esterhuizen said, after the 28-25 win.

“Hopefully, we have turned the corner and can start building momentum. During the week, we had a lot of honest conversations.

"The players understood that they had to take accountability for everything that had happened,” explained Esterhuizen, who could not have celebrated his 100th game for the Sharks in better fashion.

“There were big changes (JP Pietersen replacing John Plumtree as head coach), so we needed to reset and have a plan for the boys to follow as a team, not as individuals,’ he continued.