Sharks coach Robert du Preez says disappointment at his side's last-gasp 38-37 Super Rugby loss to the Hurricanes in Wellington last weekend has been tempered by what was arguably their best performance on tour.
The Sharks won just one of the four games down Under, a whirlwind 63-40 success over the Blues in Auckland, but Du Preez felt they got better with each week, culminating in a strong performance against the Hurricanes.
"It was a step up from the previous week's game against the Blues and I'm very happy with that," Du Preez was quote on his team's website.
"I thought the guys did everything to win the game, but in the end, it was really disappointing to lose because the boys threw everything into it.
"I thought everyone played well and the bench players were also valuable contributors when they came on."
But as has been their issue this season, the Sharks defence disappointed once more, especially in the crucial last few minutes.
"We leaked two soft tries that I'm not happy about. We should have closed the game out in the end, that's a negative to me because we had every opportunity to do that and we didn't.
"Overall, although we lost, it was a very positive effort from the boys and I'm proud of them," Du Preez said.
The Sharks host the Bulls at King's Park this coming Saturday.