Sharks to stay safe for semi-final clash with Crusaders
Coach Jake White sees no reason to abandon conservative approach that has worked so well for his South African outfit
The ACT Brumbies have abandoned his conservative game plan but Jake White's Sharks side won't when they face the Canterbury Crusaders in their Super Rugby semi-final on Saturday.
The 2007 World Cup-winning coach left the Brumbies last year after guiding them to the Super Rugby final and the Canberra-based side initially adopted White's territory-first game plan only to throw it out last weekend at the start of the play-offs.
Brumbies coach Laurie Fisher said in Sydney his side would not abandon the running rugby that had taken them past the Waikato Chiefs to the semi-final against the table-topping New South Wales Waratahs.
In knockout rugby you have to go back to what works for you and we have done those things consistently
"We're not going out there to try to win 6-3, it's not going to happen," he said.
"Our mindset needs to be, we've had the weaponry all year, we've had the skill set all year, it's there in the armoury, let's get it out and have a crack.
"You may as well put it on show because if you don't, you're not coming back next week."
But White, whose sides are built around a combative forward pack, a game plan that minimises errors inside their own territory, would not be following suit in Christchurch.
The third-seeded Sharks highlighted how ruthless their pack, led by the seemingly indestructible Bismarck du Plessis, can be when they bludgeoned the Otago Highlanders' into the Kings Park turf in the first round of the play-offs last weekend.