The Durban-based side are expected to have a new head coach in charge next season.
You’ve got to feel for John Plumtree, though it’s not a surprise he and the Sharks will part ways at the end of the current season.
Winning is all that matters in professional sport – except if you’re the Lions – and the Sharks’ results under Plumtree just haven’t been good enough. Not when a wealthy investor pumps a lot of money into a union and signs a host of Springboks.
Since Plumtree’s return to the Durban-based franchise at the start of the 2023/24 season, following a successful first spell in charge between 2008 and 2012, the Sharks have struggled to impress in the United Rugby Championship.
Technical consultant
In his first season back in charge, the team won just four out of 18 URC games and also picked up the Challenge Cup title, while last season they won 13 out of 18 URC group games and won a quarter-final.
This season they have again started poorly, with one win from five games.
The bosses said enough is enough and Plumtree will see out the season, but with a technical consultant alongside him. Who’ll actually pick the team and decide on game style and so on remains to be seen.
But these sorts of coaching combinations rarely work, because everyone has their own ideas … and who’ll make the final call? I can’t see it working out.
Too many Boks
It’ll also be interesting to see who the Sharks’ bosses, and Plumtree himself apparently, decide to get in as the technical consultant.
The issue though at the Sharks, as pointed out by former Bulls coach Jake White, runs deeper than the coaching.
The four big franchises in South Africa have three competitions to juggle with each season — the URC, European cup competitions and the Currie Cup — and for those with a number of Bok players on their books, like the Sharks, the coach has to deal with players being available and then not during Test season, while at other times national players are required to rest.
In the Sharks’ case, they perhaps have too many Boks in their ranks and no matter who the coach is, he will have to handle all these very tricky matters. It’s just not conducive to running a settled, happy rugby team.
