Nick Mallett criticises Sharks after 54-0 loss to All Blacks

Former Springbok coach Nick Mallett has heavily criticised the Sharks following their 54-0 defeat to the All Blacks at Kings Park. Mallett described the second-half performance of JP Pietersen’s side as a mismatch between men and boys.

Speaking on the Talking Boks podcast, Mallett noted that while the Sharks showed enthusiasm during the opening 20 minutes, the young and inexperienced squad struggled to maintain their level. He suggested that the All Blacks could have led 30-0 at the interval and finished with a score of 70-0 based on the number of missed tries by the New Zealand side.

Mallett argued that provincial sides like Griquas or the Boland Cavaliers might have provided a more competitive challenge. He referenced his time with Boland in 1996 and a draw involving Griquas against New Zealand to illustrate how motivated, experienced teams can compete against major franchises when the latter field weakened squads.

The former coach also questioned the value of the current provincial-tour series concept. Attendance for the Durban match was just over 14,000, a significant drop from the 47,130 spectators who watched the opening fixture between the Stormers and the All Blacks in Cape Town.

Mallett raised concerns regarding the financial structure of the series, noting that profits from these matches go to SARU rather than the clubs. He suggested that the fixtures should instead be awarded to the top four Currie Cup teams, such as the Pumas, Cheetahs, Boland, and Griquas.

He proposed that these teams would bring more passion and full squads to the matches. Mallett concluded that allowing these clubs to keep the gate receipts would prevent the event from becoming a damp squib, a term he used to describe both the poor performance and the impact of the weather on Tuesday.