Keegan Daniel produced a big performance after a controversial week © Getty Images

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Match Pack: Under-pressure Sharks beat Force in Perth

Matches: Force 13 - 23 Sharks

Sharks coach John Plumtree may have to reconsider his claim that his side's finals hopes are already over, after their gritty 23-13 victory over Western Force at nib Stadium in Perth on Friday night.

The Sharks' previous defeat by Queensland Reds had left the vastly experienced coach claiming that a top-six berth was beyond the reach of last season's beaten finalists, but a wildcard spot now looks to be on the cards once again with three of their remaining four fixtures at home.

"Last year we came through the back door," he said. "And if there's enough points available and the boys get some confidence out of this win, anything's possible, I guess. After the June break, if we can all of our backs back into the game, who knows? "We've got a tough away fixture against the Bulls next week, and then the Blues and the Kings. At full strength, we're capable of beating anyone. But we're not at full strength at the moment; and we've got the Bulls next week and when they smell blood, they hammer you into the ground. We know how tough that fixture's going to be."

Plumtree said that he was hugely relieved to emerge from nib Stadium with the win, a result that ended a dismal run of five consecutive Super Rugby defeats - three on a gruelling Australasian tour.

"The mood in the changing room's a lot better than it has been for the last five weeks," he said. "There was a lot of pressure on us tonight. Obviously the tour hasn't gone well. Losing the two games before we left for the tour obviously affected the confidence of the boys, and we had a tough game against the Chiefs; then against the Highlanders we had another loss, and the Reds were too good for us last weekend.

"So tonight was hugely important for us and I'm really proud of the boys because it's been a tough road these last few weeks. We needed to get some confidence back into the players, so it's a relief thing. It was important for lots of different reasons."

The Sharks coach also revealed that his players were motivated by the need to dispel newspaper reports that skipper Keegan Daniel had acknowledged the existence of a rift within the camp between the Afrikaner players and their non-Afrikaner colleagues.

"It gave us a little bit more resolve," he said. "When you're struggling on the road and you're in your fourth week away from home and then something like that surfaces, it's really disappointing and tough. Keegan's a leader, I'm a leader, and when the culture of our team is questioned like that, it makes our jobs a lot harder. But we got over that. We had to put all the talk out onto the field and get a win to put a smile on our supporters' faces and we did that."