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Bewildered Muir ends Sharks tenure

May 26 2008

Sharks coach Dick Muir was left scratching his head after his team's below par performance in his last game at the helm of the South African franchise.

What was clear to all involved however was the that Waratahs were the better team in their Super 14 semi-final and can harbour realistic title hopes.

A long flight to Sydney and a late change to the starting line-up certainly did not help the visitors to Sydney football Stadium last Saturday but neither can be used as excuses to explain how the Sharks were simply outplayed.

"Rugby is about momentum and we never had any," the Sharks coach told Super Rugby after his team's 28-13 defeat.

"The Waratahs' defence and ball control were brilliant. They also kicked well, tactically.

"It is terribly disappointing for us to have come so far and being unable to play our game. We have some moments towards the end when we showed what our team was all about. They showed a lot of character," Muir said.

Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie, who will most likely pack his bags after Saturday's Final, can be well pleased with his team's performance.

"I am delighted," McKenzie said.

"Except for the fact that we tried to push through some passes, I feel it was a rather smart performance.

"There are some characteristics one needs to win. You have to be aggressive and you have to be able to score tries. We scored four."

The much touted Sharks' pack were outplayed by their Waratahs counterparts were did sterling work in disrupting their line-outs. The South Africans struggled to hear the line-out calls in the noisy stadium but Muir conceded that the Australians had done their homework.

"I thought we should have speeded up our line-out. I don't know to what extent the flight to Sydney affected them but the players were never on the front foot," he said.

Muir explained how he had been forced to replace AJ Venter with Epi Taione at the last minute after the Springbok forward injured his hand. Unfortunately the Tongan had a poor game.

"We did not know how much that would disrupt the team. But in the end, the Waratahs were simply so much better than we were," said Muir.

"I thought Epi would get us across the advantage line. He was a little rusty after being out of rugby for six weeks. It did not work for us but one must admit he tried to the end. When Jean Deysel came on he carried the ball better than Epi had done.

"The knockout came just after half-time when they scored two tries.

"We felt that even though we trailed 15-6 at the break, things could have been worse.

"We could have fought back if we scored first in the second-half. Even when we trailed by 12 points with ten minutes to go there may have been a chance."

The long-time Sharks mentor believes that the Waratahs have what it takes to upset the Crusaders in Christchurch on Saturday despite what many may think is a foregone conclusion.

"Any team that control the ball well against the Crusaders have a chance. The Waratahs also defend well. The two best teams in the competition are in the final."

Muir will now take up his role as assistant coach to the Springboks in the knowledge that the Sharks are better off for his time at then helm, after he took over the reins from Kevin Putt when the Sharks were struggling and led the team to come within seconds of winning the Super 14 title last year.

"I really enjoyed working with the Sharks," he said over the weekend.

"I think I'm leaving them in a better position than they were when I took them.

"They have grown as a squad. We lost some senior players at the end of last year. We had some exciting players but not the experience.

"One needs experience, especially in big matches. I think John Plumtree and Grant Bashford will make a better team of the squad. There certainly is potential to reach great heights."

The opportunity to join the national squad is a proposition that Muir has accepted with great enthusiasm, saying he was "very excited" about his new job.