By Brenden Nel.
The news that the Hollywoodbets Sharks will start the new year at the bottom of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship log has underlined their need to win this weekend’s sole match in the competition, as the Emirates Lions head to Durban for the delayed derby.
John Plumtree’s side came close against the DHL Stormers last weekend but it wasn’t surprising to hear him talk about how he was looking forward to having his troops at home again – especially as the Sharks have played just three home games in all competitions this season.
That astounding stat has underlined how difficult the job of transforming the Sharks is becoming for Plumtree, especially as he calls for patience as he looks to do a total revamp of the side to get them back to the top.
And Saturday’s game is something of a watershed, especially after the Dragons moved off the bottom on New Year’s day by edging the Scarlets, leaving the Sharks with one win from eight and floundering at the bottom.
Plumtree knows the enormity of his task, and has set out a plan that has been accepted by the owners of the Sharks. And that is why short-term success is less important than long term gain.
Still, while he has asked for patience, Plumtree is well aware of how big a task it is.
“It’s positive but we have to keep on building. There is a lot to do in Durban. It is just one step at a time. There is a lot for the players to get used to – they’ve got to get used to me, because I’m different,” Plumtree laughed.
“They have got to get used to a new coaching team and I’ve got to get used to them – a lot of these players I don’t really know very well. There is a style of game we want to play and I think we saw a slightly different style (against the Stormers).
“We will get on the right track eventually, but it is going to take a bit of time. The key for all of that for Sharks fans is – stay patient. It has been tough there over the years.
“As much as I want success and I want it quickly, there is a real process to this. I’m an impatient person but that won’t help. I need other people to be patient around me, because it is going to take a while to get things right.”
Saved by the Boks
Part of the Sharks’ dilemma with their large cohort of Springboks has been the fact that there is an enforced break in February and March for all the Boks contracted to them, as there is for the other three franchises in the country.
And part of that dilemma is that the Sharks have struggled when they don’t have their Boks, and the squad depth isn’t as strong as it should be – hence the comment that the Boks always need to come and “save” the squad when they are available.
There clearly is a plan and the Boks will be rested and reintegrated in sessions to try and get the best out of them.
But in the meantime Plumtree needs to find a way of getting the squad to fire. Cape Town’s performance was better, but by Plumtree’s own admission not quite there yet.
And hence his focus in on that, and not relying on the Boks to be the turnaround.
“We’ve got some Springboks and we’ve got some good ones, but we can’t rely on them,” Plumtree said.
“What we have to do is have a squad that is really strong, so when the Boks come back, they make our team stronger and they don’t have to rescue our team.”
Plumtree perhaps unintentionally took a swipe at his own bosses, acknowledging that the big buying Sharks management had made a mistake by trying just to recruit big names.
“You can’t buy a rugby team. It has never been done before. You can’t buy success. You need to develop it and recruit and retain and do smart things and then you get the Etzebeths and the Vincent Kochs.
“Then you become stronger and stronger and that is what we have to do. You don’t go buy six or seven players and then all of a sudden you think you are going to be strong. It doesn’t happen like that.”
But now that they find themselves in this position, the Sharks will rest their Boks strategically while still adhering to the rest period.
“The Boks all won’t go off together. We will have some and some will be resting. The ones that rested will come back and then others will have their turn. We will do it smartly.
“We are not strong enough to compete without the strength of those Springboks.”
In the meantime the Lions, full of confidence after their recent run, await. And Plumtree will be hoping they galvanise the spirit to give his team’s fans something to smile about.