Sharks coach John Plumtree says his star-studded team is like a racehorse still finding its stride ahead of the big event. SIMON BORCHARDT reports.
Plumtree welcomed back four Springboks – Eben Etzebeth, Grant Williams, Lukhanyo Am and Aphelele Fassi – for last week’s Vodacom URC match against Edinburgh, with Bulls coach Jake White calling it “one of the strongest provincial sides I’ve ever seen coming out of South Africa”.
However, the Sharks were second-best for large parts of the game and needed a late try to snatch an 18-17 win.
“You could certainly see some rust there, not just from a team collective but also an individual skill set level,” Plumtree reflected on Friday.
“I think the first 20 minutes it was more about individual skills – like not finding touch, not clearing well [at the breakdown] or missing a tackle – which put us under pressure. That gave Edinburgh a lot of territory and possession.
“Our scrum’s going well, our lineout’s going well, but how we control a game isn’t going well. That comes down to our [team] drivers, so we really dug deep into that during our analysis as a coaching group this week.”
Plumtree said it would take time for the team to gel and used the team’s headline sponsor to explain their current situation.
“People just need to be a little bit patient with us. It’s been a difficult season with injuries and challenges around continuity in the selection. But we’ve got players coming back at the right time.
“If you compared us to a Hollywoodbets horse I’d say we just won by a nose but we know there’s a Kentucky Derby in four or five weeks’ time and we want to win that race. So we want to get that horse fitter, train it hard and get it across the line and maybe win it by four or five lengths and not by a nose.
“We’ve got the team that we want, and it’s up to us to go out there and perform and get the win. That’s all we focus on. So it’s not really about outside pressure and oh, we’ve got a whole lot of Springboks and we’re expected to win by more.”
TEAM: Sharks keep faith for Ulster showdown
Plumtree has made two changes to his starting XV for Saturday’s match against Ulster in Belfast, with Bok lock Jason Jenkins replacing the injured Emile van Heerden and James Venter starting at openside with Phepsi Buthelezi dropping down to the bench.
“It will be good to see how Jason starts in the middle of the lineout,” he said. “He’s done a lot of it already this season because of the injuries we’ve had. It’s been good for him because it shows he can play four and five and jump in the middle and front of the lineout.”
In another change to the bench, scrumhalf Bradley Davids comes in for Grant Williams, who is still struggling with a neck niggle that required rest not so long ago.
“Grant’s neck still not being right is a bit of a concern for us, we have to investigate what the problem is there,” said Plumtree. “It’s a facet joint that’s bothering him. We’ll give it two or three weeks to heal and he’ll be back for the playoffs.”
ALSO: Kok gives Ulster ‘insight’ into Sharks
Photo: Calum Chittleburgh/SNS Group via Getty Images
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