Neil Powell says it was “about the result” for the Sharks as they shook off a difficult week with a scrappy win over Ospreys in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship on Friday.

A 25-10 score in Durban flattered the Sharks, but a victory was all the hosts wanted in a week where former head coach Sean Everitt was sacked in the aftermath of a shock 35-0 defeat to Cardiff.

Powell, who was taking charge of his first URC match, acknowledged it was a tough time in the build up to the Ospreys clash, but the ‘W’ gives the Durbanites a clean slate to build on.

“If you know me, then you’ll know I’m not about the result but this one was about the result for us. It will give us a bit of a breather,” the Sharks coach told reporters post match on Friday.

RECAP: Shaky Sharks bounce back against Ospreys

“We all know it wasn’t an easy week. This game was never going to be easy because of the week and that it was a short week as well.

“We played Sunday and we had to get the guys recovered and get good preparation to play Friday again. That turnaround also made it difficult.

“It was a tough week and a much-needed result for us, especially looking forward to next week and what we want to achieve. It’s good that we got a bit of confidence and a good result from this game.”

The Sharks will know they have plenty of work to do before they make their Champions Cup debut at home to Harlequins next Saturday.

HIGHLIGHTS: Sharks show fighting spirit to down Ospreys

“It’s not just about the result for me,” Powell added. “It’s also about the way we play, the effort that we put in and how we execute the plan and how well we do in our individual roles and responsibilities.

“We can definitely make a step up there. We will learn from our mistakes but there was some good dominance in that game as well, especially in the first half.

“There were a lot of positives as well but we do need to make sure that we get it right for next weekend.”

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