SIX OF THE BEST

WORDS: ALBERT HEENOP

Just over a month ago, Joey Mongalo implored his charges to be more consistent, with a view to securing a favourable playoff spot. The boys certainly answered the coach’s call, as they have now won their last six Currie Cup games on the trot…

It was following the gritty away win against the Cheetahs at the end of April, that Joey Mongalo suggested that if the Cell C Sharks could string together a series of wins, it would make a massive difference.

“At some point we have to stop making our lives so difficult, and just go through two, three, four or five wins in a row; that will make all the difference in the world,” Mongalo said at the time.

“This has become especially important since the log is so tightly grouped… Every result has a bearing on where we could go. “There simply is no place for inconsistent performances anymore.”

Well, the Cell C Sharks have actually gone one better than five wins in a row, and their sixth consecutive victory in this year’s domestic showpiece, a hard-fought

35-9 bonus-point victory over the Griffons in Welkom, has now seen the men in black and white surge to the top of the Currie Cup standings.

The team from Durban might have taken a while to hit their straps against the Northern Free Staters last Friday. When they did finally get into the groove during the second half, though, there was no stopping the Cell C Sharks as they claimed a valuable full haul of championship points away from home.

Following the Cheetahs’ 29-29 draw with Griquas in Bloemfontein on Saturday, the Cell C Sharks (43) are now two points ahead of the Free Staters (41), and seven clear of the defending champions, the Pumas, who went down 17-24 to the Bulls.

The Cell C Sharks are back home at Hollywoodbets Kings Park tonight, hosting the Lions, and fizzing to consolidate their pole position as the competition enters its business end.

The visitors from Johannesburg, on the other hand, are currently lying just outside of the top four and will be highly determined to book a semi-final spot themselves. The Lions achieved a morale-boosting 3212 win at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town against Western Province, who are currently occupying the fourth position on the log, courtesy of a slightly superior points difference than the Lions and Bulls (all on 31 championship points).

The Cell C Sharks

As such, Reniel Hugo and co can expect to have a brutal battle on their hands tonight. The forward fray should, as usual, prove to be decisive, and the Cell C Sharks have been served brilliantly in this regard by a forward pack that, as a unit, have increasingly been stamping their authority up front and laying a perfect platform for their exciting backs to do their thing.

With only two rounds of Currie Cup warfare left to play before the playoffs - the Cell C Sharks are concluding the regular leg of their campaign against Western Province in Cape Town next Saturday - the focus is on finishing the race in style