Sharks made history for all the right reasons last year on their overseas tour when they won three out of four Super Rugby matches.

That included an historic 30-25 victory against Crusaders in Christchurch, the first by a South African team in the city since the Bulls beat what was a weak outfit in 1996.

While the current outlook may be of doom and gloom, the portents for Sharks' overseas tour may not be bad if they get their act together. This is how they should do it.

A good start

Winning breeds winning and there is nothing that cultivates a good tour like an excellent start. The Highlanders have punched well above their weight and exposed Sharks in Durban last year, but they have an equally terrible home record against Gary Gold's side.

Discipline

Sharks and Highlanders are no angels on the field, but the knives have been out for Sharks. Any team that accrued three red cards will be targeted by referees and citing commissioners. With two of their three offenders, Frans Steyn and Bismarck du Plessis, available for the tour, their short fuses will be tested. But the docking of wages for on-field misbehaviour should improve things.

The flyhalf-inside centre conundrum

To be fair, Sharks have not missed Steyn much but in Fred Zeilinga, they have a capable pivot but not one with supreme confidence in his abilities. Despite his sporadic flashes of brilliance, Steyn's game management from flyhalf is questionable, while Andre Esterhuizen is still finding his feet at 12.

While this tour is the last place to establish the inside back hierarchy in Pat Lambie's injury-enforced absence, Lionel Cronje and Zeilinga need to stamp their authority.

The Sydney bogey

Sydney is a veritable Sharks graveyard, with only two wins against Waratahs in 1996 and 2000. A generation of Sharks players have gone to Sydney and come back with their tails between their legs.

However, the Stormers showed that with the right defensive game plan, Waratahs can be reduced to one-trick ponies, especially when Israel Folau and Kurtley Beale are strangled for space.