Sharks captain disappointed by his side's efforts

Defeats at the hands of the Brumbies and Rebels have seen the Durban-based Sharks drop back into the also-rans category and cast doubt on their championship prospects.

Captain Ruan Botha, speaking ahead of his side's encounter with the Blues in Auckland on Saturday, said he was "not proud" of the team's performances the past two weeks.

They have won just one of their five matches this season - a 50-22 victory against the lowly Sunwolves.

"We haven't performed to our standards yet," Botha said in a teleconference call from New Zealand.

He said there will be 'no excuses' this week and that they will focus on the 'execution' of their game plan.

He added that he is 'still learning' as a captain.

Looking forward to the encounter with the Blues, he said 'everything is going to get more difficult' on the New Zealand leg of the four-match tour.

"We have to play as a team and execute our plan like we want to," Botha said.

"The task is not going to get easier."

He said as a team they have gotten closer together after the Rebels game.

"We have a great spirit," the captain said, adding: "We are just disappointed in ourselves, for dropping our standards."

@rugby365