Michalak the dangerman for 'Tahs
The Sharks' French fly-half Frédéric Michalak has been identified as the dangerman for the Waratahs by defence coach Les Kiss ahead of their Super 14 clash in Sydney on Saturday.
The Sharks' French fly-half Frédéric Michalak has been identified as the dangerman for the Waratahs by defence coach Les Kiss ahead of their Super 14 clash in Sydney on Saturday.
Kiss has called the 50 cap French Test star a 'triple threat' as the 'Tahs much lauded defence must contend with the fly-half's lethal running, passing and kicking.
With the Sharks coming off their first loss of the season, to the Brumbies, Kiss said his defence would have to be on their toes if they are to deny their opponents any tries, a feat they have accomplished three times this year.
“There are a lot of little nuances in the defence [Michalak] tests, and that'll be a big challenge for us,” the Waratahs' defence coach told the Daily Telegraph
“He carries the ball very well, he's a guy who you think you've got and then he's gone. The defence has to be aware of every man around him, not just the man marking him.
“The two or three defenders on either side of him are very vital because he is a hard man to control with his subtle pass skills.
“He shifts his body in a way that you think you've got him and he's not going to pass, and then he passes and hits runners all around him.”
Michalak was influential in beating the All Blacks in their World Cup quarter-final last year with a display of such a skill, spinning around on a line-break and delaying his pass to set up for the match-winning try.
Though only in his first season of Super 14, 'Tahs coach Ewen McKenzie said his team are very conscious of Michalak's strike power. He also expects Springbok star Francois Steyn to move to inside centre for the Sharks.
“Michalak is a very good player, as a runner and (with) his short kicking game,” McKenzie said.
“He's a significant threat. They'll have a bunch of them.
“That combination of 10-12 will be a threat to us.”
The Waratahs backs trained extensively in catching and counter-attacking on Tuesday, indicating they expect plenty of kicking from the Sharks.
“They have a massive variety of kicking in their game,” said wing Lachie Turner.