New attacking approach excites Van der Walt

Van der Walt is currently involved in his first Super Rugby pre-season with the Sharks, having joined the side from the Cheetahs ahead of the Currie Cup midway through last year.

The 26-year-old believes they have the right players and the right game plan to light up this year's Super Rugby competition.

"It's always nice to get your hands on the ball and to be part of a team that people enjoy watching," Van der Walt told sharksrugby.co.za. "We're all very competitive and when you have to defend to get the ball back, once you get it back, you don't want to give it back to them easily; that becomes a long day at the office.

"We're looking forward to the season and I believe that with the players we have, we will be able to play some really good rugby."

Van der Walt said it was a new experience working with some of the new coaches at the Sharks, especially attack coach Robert du Preez.

"So far it's been great, it has been different with the new coaches, but I think we’ve gone along very well so far and the guys are working really hard.

"I've found Robert a very approachable coach which is nice. He knows what he wants but he’s also a keen listener, he wants to know what input you have as a player," he added.

Durban's relentless and energy-sapping heat and humidity would have been another new experience for Van der Walt during the pre-season  

"You have to adapt [to the conditions]. You try and plan around it and sometimes you just have to work your way through it. 

"If you do the hard yards through the worst of the conditions, I believe you'll be better prepared for playing in those conditions during the season because you're used to them and the other teams aren't."

@TheSharksZA