Mike Greenaway
JP Pietersen was 19 when he won a World Cup gold medal with the Springboks in 2007 and his rags-to-riches story is inspiring the Sharks players he is coaching in the Currie Cup.
In the space of three years, Pietersen went from playing lock for the Pumas when they were still based in Witbank to winning a World Cup in Paris in the team captained by his Sharks teammate John Smit.
Pietersen has gone full circle at the Durban team and is in his first season as senior coach. His captain in the Currie Cup, Nick Hatton, says a team with an average age under 23 are all ears when Pietersen speaks.
“Coach JP wants us to have belief and the mindset that we belong at this level,” Hatton said, ahead of his team's visit to the Pumas in Nelspruit on Saturday. “He is telling us that we can do something special if we keep fighting.”
Hatton’s Sharks have done just that ‒ they lost their first three games by narrow margins but last week shocked the Lions in Johannesburg for a well-deserved win.
“We did stay in the fight in those first few games and the coach kept encouraging us to express ourselves and let our individuality shine through,” Hatton said.
“He is hard on us, he drives hunger, but he inspires us with his story of how young he was when he went from nowhere to a huge breakthough.”
It has not been easy for Pietersen’s team because they had about a week to prepare for the Currie Cup and there have been personnel changes. A raft of Springbok players was suddenly given to Pietersen only for them to vanish a week later before a group of Baby Boks became available last week.
The centre Jurenzo Julius was the star of the show at Ellis Park in scoring match-winning tries.
“The guys coming to us from the Under-20 Championship were battle-hardened after a tough tournament and made a big difference,” Hatton said.
“We are in a good place as we look to build on our defeat of the Lions but we know full well what awaits us at the Pumas.”