Vincent Koch has a unique take on the challenges facing the Sharks as they continue their quest to turn around their Vodacom URC season and find the form that the prodigious talent in their ranks deserves.
When the URC resumes again on 22 March, the Sharks will head into round 12 at the bottom of the log despite a team loaded with Springboks and a new head coach in John Plumtree determined to bring back the glory days of this union.
The dream hasn’t yet materialised. But Koch, having spent enough time in a Bok environment where they’ve often been written off and had to play with their backs against the wall, believes the Sharks will eventually get it right.
“Obviously, the results haven’t gone our way, but it’s a process. It’s a new coach and a new way of playing and you can see some positives,” he said.
And what gives him this hope is his fellow players: “It’s been great to see the players keep fighting. Even at training you can see these players are hungry. They never give up. They’re working hard and they know what it takes to win.
“That’s the best thing about these players – they don’t give up and they don’t get despondent. They want to fight for it.”
For Koch, it’s a microcosm of what he’s seen at the Springboks and a reflection of what he believes is the DNA of a South African rugby player.
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“I believe South African players are the strongest, toughest and most intelligent players to play against.
“I come back to what Dricus du Plessis said after his fight – Hulle weet nie wat on weet nie. That’s become part of our culture. People don’t know what it’s like in South Africa. It’s not always easy in our country. We come from different backgrounds and it’s tough. But it’s also beautiful.
“We are a people that never gives up. And a South African team will never give up. Even if we’re 50 points down, we will always try and make that last tackle in the corner. That’s what makes us stand out. We know we have to fight to get to the top. And I believe that helps us as South African players. We grow up tough and we use that in the game.”
It’s exactly this back story of each South African rugby player that Koch believes is their biggest strength, and which he feels will shine through at the Sharks as well. And it’s a story he can relate to from his own childhood.
“It wasn’t always easy growing up. My parents did whatever they could to give us the best. If they had to go without buying clothes for themselves they would do so to give me and my brother clothes.
“They sacrificed for us and I’m grateful to this day for that. They put a lot of their own wishes aside to give me and my brother the best life.”
The results may not yet be going the way of the Sharks, and that can always be a question of debate.
But for the likes of Koch, there should be no question about the fight and the hunger in his team to get it right.
Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
