Sharks out to end with a bang
Although their clash against the Kings on Saturday is a dead rubber, the Sharks are desperate to show what they are capable of in their last match of the season.
The 10th-placed Durban side have been hit hard by injuries in a tough season, so they are keen to put together a good performance to end the season in style in front of their home fans.
Interim coach Hugh Reece-Edwards said that they have their sights set on finishing the season in seventh place by putting together a good performance at Kings Park on Saturday.
"We really just want to go out and play some good rugby," Reece-Edwards said.
"The bottom line is to come out and perform. The players know they are coming off a good performance against the Bulls.
"We want to finish off the season well and perhaps end in seventh place. That's not good enough, but it's far better than the 10th place we're in now," he added.
The Sharks were forced to work hard for their 21-12 victory over the Kings in Port Elizabeth earlier in the season, and Reece-Edwards is expecting another fierce test this weekend.
"If you look at the Kings, they've played pretty well this season and they gave the Stormers a bit of a fright last Saturday (when they lost 24-12).
"When we played them last, we thought it might have been a bit easier and we were perhaps a bit too conservative and made too many mistakes.
"They've proven that they are a tough side to beat, they don't give up and have the best tackle percentage in the competition," he said.
The match will also be the last for Reece-Edwards and fellow assistant Grant Bashford as they follow former head coach John Plumtree out the back door of the union.
Reece-Edwards admitted that it will be an emotional ocassion with a few players and coaches leaving the franchise, but made it clear that their focus will be on playing the best rugby possible rather than farewells.
"There is a bit of emotion. I don't like it to be a case of ‘let's play for this guy or that guy'. That can take away from the rugby itself," he said.
"There are players and coaches leaving, but at the end of the day it's really just about the 80 minutes that's going to count to whether it's a good send-off or not, so it's about the rugby."
