Sharks coach Du Preez ‘can’t condone’ Akker behaviour
2019-03-31 10:23 Cape Town – Sharks coach Robert du Preez says he cannot condone the actions of hooker Akker van der Merwe following Saturday’s Super Rugby loss to the Bulls at Kings Park. Van der Merwe and Bulls hooker Schalk Brits were both shown a straight red card in the 57th minute of the match after replays showed that Van der Merwe had instigated a punch-up. Brits, though, retaliated with punches of his own and both players were sent off. READ: Van der Merwe, Brits share a beer after red cards It was the most heated of South African derbies, and the Bulls would go on to claim a vitally important 19-16 win . Du Preez, understandably, was disappointed at the post-match press conference. “Our possession stats and our territory stats were outstanding. We created a whole bunch of opportunities but at crucial times we made errors and that’s what cost us,” he said. “These local derbies are always going to be tight. In the end ...