Interim coach JP Pietersen hails Sharks' character in Champions Cup victory

The result is an important one for the Durban franchise. The club have all the ingredients to be a championship-winning side but have had poor results. It was the first match of interim coach JP Pietersen's tenure and the group will be buoyant after an attritional win in the teeming rain over a good Saracens outfit.

"There were patches where we didn't do well, but it showed the character in the team,"  Pietersen told the press afterwards.

"You could see afterwards how much it meant to the players in the change room. It wasn't a perfect performance. We lost some scrum penalties, aerial battles and lineouts when we needed to score. What we can work on is winning the aerial battle and transferring pressure better when we score.

"When you don't have the ball or field position, you're going to defend a lot. If you look at the stats, our tackle count will be way higher. But a win like this gives you belief, hope and lifts the energy in the environment."

Pietersen also heaped praise on his captain for the day, Springbok Andre Esterhuizen. It was the centre's 100th cap for the Sharks and he was honoured with the captain's armband. He did not disappoint, making several trademark barnstorming runs up the midfield.

"I remember Andre's debut - I was there when he came on the wing in New Zealand against the Hurricanes [in 2014], and we played a lot of games together," reflected Pietersen.  

"He's grown so much. He's become a proper all-round player - they call him the hybrid now.

"I'm really proud of him. The way he leads, the way he talks, his decision-making on the field - I don't need to step in much, which tells you he's a natural leader."