White throws digs at Cheika

Editor

Sharks boss Jake White thanked Michael Chieka for inspiring his pre-match team talk before the 32-10 win over the Waratahs.

Sharks boss Jake White thanked Michael Cheika for inspiring his pre-match team talk before the 32-10 win over the Waratahs.

The hosts dominated their visitors from start to finish in a physical encounter that resulted in two citings.

Highlighting how Cheika had promised that the Waratahs would go “toe-to-toe” with the Sharks physically in Durban, White revealed that Cheika made his job a lot easier.

“We had to front up today, they are very abrasive, they've got big, strong ball-runners, they bashed the Reds, so we knew we would have to front up,” he said.

“There had been a lot of talk in the media about [going] toe to toe and intensity and aggression, so I suppose I must thank Mike [Cheika] for making my team talk easier, I just put it all on the board.”

In a further snap at the Waratahs coach, who White came across regularly last season when in charge of the Brumbies, White referenced an incident three weeks ago when the Waratahs lost in Canberra and a glass door was smashed in the coaches box.

“I just want to see if our coaches' box is still alright, because I have to get [chief executive John Smit] to get some insurance for it,” chortled White.

“Hopefully it's not too damaged.”