Kankowski hails 'team effort'

by RivalsDM

Updated: March 20, 2008, 9:02 AM EST Comment

Kankowski says his own game has been helped by the fact that the team s a whole are performing well.

"I think the team is doing really well so it helps the individuals to do better and play their own game," he said on Sharksrugby.co.za.

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"It's a huge team contribution and it's always nice to get the Man of the Match, but you can only play as well as the weakest guy in the team, and with the Sharks doing well, it can only go well for everyone in the team," the modest No.8 said.

The Sharks didn't have it all their own way against the Lions last week, but as Kankowski explains, local derbies always bring out the best in the opposition.

"In South Africa for the derby matches, the guys really raise their games," he said.

"And I think that also contributed to them really stepping up.

"We definitely could have played a lot better.

"In the first half we played really well but with the rain it kind of put a damper on things.

"The Lions did play brilliantly in the second half, they came out flying.

"At the end of the day we won, that's the main thing," he added.

The Sharks have one of the best defensive records in the competition, having conceded only five tries in their five matches to date.

Kankowski is proud of his team's defensive heroics so far this season.

"At stages our defence was amazing," he admits.

"They put 10 to 15 phases together and couldn't break through.

"It's something we have worked hard on and continue to work at, we pride ourselves on our defence, it's a big part of our game," he added.

Kankowski has had the reputation of being a very loose No.8, tending to disappear in the tighter games.

This season has seen him develop that part of his game, making him a well-rounded No.8.

"John Plumtree [Sharks forwards coach] has spoken to me about getting tighter, more physical and developing that part of my game," he admits.

"He's always said I could run with the ball, but I have to develop my tighter game, which I have.

"Last year I had the job of the runner in the team, with AJ [Venter] and Jacques [Botes] the other loosies, but with Keegan [Daniel] there now, and he's a brilliant runner with the ball, so he's been given the job as runner, so I am basically having to play a tighter role, but run at the same time.

"So we can do both the jobs, perhaps just sharing the load, but it's brilliant playing with guys like that, it's an awesome team," he added.

The Sharks and the Crusaders are the only unbeaten teams left in the competition, but the Durban franchise has been criticised for not scoring enough tries.

Kankowski pointed to the extremely humid conditions in Durban as a factor.

"Look, in Durban it's a lot harder handling the ball in the humidity," Kankowski explained.

"It's not like playing in the rain where you can still throw the ball around.

"The ball is wet and you can still handle it, but in Durban the ball is slippery, it's slimy, and that's why we have tended to play more conservative rugby.

"But in the last couple of games we did try throw it around a bit and that was quite exciting," he said of the Sharks tactics.

"Because it is early in the season, and because the conditions demand it, you play the game plan that wins games, and later, the opportunity is there to run more, score more tries and pick up the bonus points.

"In our eyes, a win is a win," he said.

"That's what we are playing for, to win games.

"I think we have mixed it between playing running rugby when we can and playing tight rugby when we have to, so I think we have a good balance.

"We're developing with a really young team, and as the tournament goes on so we will develop further," he added.

Kankowski was keen to point out the Sharks were in a similar position this time last year, and went on to get a home Final.

"Last year we also started off slowly as well, and also played fairly conservative rugby.

"But as soon as it starts cooling down and we go overseas and start playing in different weather conditions, so we expect things to change," he added.

The Sharks enjoy a enjoy a bye over the Easter Weekend, before taking on the Reds and then facing a demanding five-match overseas tour.

The form No.8 explained that the Durban-based franchise had achieved their first goal of the season - remaining unbeaten.

"We've broken our season up into certain phases and it's nice to get a rest now," he said.

"The first phase is mission accomplished, everyone is happy, it's nice to get your mind off rugby, refocus and come back flying," he said of the break.

21 points after five games. Not a bad return for a team desperate to bury the painful memories of last year.

Kankowski concurs.

"I don't think anyone would turn that down," he admits.

"It's magical, the same as last year.

"We've really worked hard together, things are paying off and we're only going to work harder and hopefully keep developing into a brilliant team," he went on to say.