Kolisi praises Sharks' new-found fighting spirit ahead of semi-final

SHARKS loose-forward Siya Kolisi feels their recent ability to get over the line in close matches without playing Champagne rugby, and to finish strongly, is a sign of the growing maturity and fighting spirit among the franchise's players.

- ROWAN CALLAGHAN

The Durban side edged a number of tight encounters on their march to Saturday’s United Rugby Championship semi-final against the Bulls at Loftus, built largely on strong second-half performances.

This was perhaps most clearly demonstrated in their nail-biting victory over Munster at the Shark Tank last weekend. The Sharks needed a dramatic penalty shoot-out to overcome the Irish side, with the match tied at 24-24 after extra-time.

The nature of those results has prompted criticism of the Sharks' style of play in some quarters, with inevitable comparisons drawn to the more clinical Bulls. Kolisi, however, prefers to focus on the resolve and resilience within the team — qualities also evident in narrow away victories over Edinburgh and Ulster in the pool stages.