Sharks 'living in the moment'

09/19/2024 07:29 AM

An excited John Plumtree shares the mood in the Sharks camp in the buildup to the Currie Cup final, with one eye on a three-week tour at the start of the Vodacom URC, reports DEVIN HERMANUS.

The head coach has made it clear that while Saturday's clash between the Sharks XV and Lions at Ellis Park is a massive occasion, it's also the perfect preparation for the challenges that lie ahead for the Durban outfit. The Sharks will face Connacht in Galway in the URC next week, followed by crucial clashes against Dragons and Benetton.

"It would've been a totally different week this week if we hadn't been in it [the final]," Plumtree told reporters in a Sharks conference after announcing the team on Thursday. "We'd be working on the Connacht game and given the players an extra few days off because we'd be away for three weeks. The reality is [different] and we might as well give it our best shot.

"There's a genuine excitement around the match; it's still a pre-season game but a pressure game and a final. That gives us that practice that we need for those pressure moments that we're going to get when we're overseas. That's a real positive."

Having already guided the Sharks to their first Challenge Cup title in May, Plumtree knows what it takes to win big games. A Currie Cup win would add another feather to his cap, but he's more excited for the players and the wider Sharks family.

"It will mean a lot," he said, reflecting on his last Currie Cup final appearance in 2011, also against the Lions at Ellis Park, which the Sharks lost.

"I'll probably be more excited for the boys; we've had two sets of coaches in the Currie Cup and more than 40 players, so there's been a lot of people here who have been involved in this campaign and a lot of management and players not playing going up to watch."

Plumtree was quick to credit the contributions of U21 head coach JP Pietersen and No 8 Nic Hatton, who played a crucial role in the team's journey to the final. "I was more than happy for JP to take the team up actually, but I think he wanted the old dog to do it! But he'll be there with me, and Nic Hatton who's played a role as captain. It'll make it special for everyone.

"If we can pull it off, it's two trophies in a short space of time, but we know, and the big picture for me and the players know it, is we've got to do well in Europe and the URC. But you live in the moment and you live in the now, and this is right now so we're going to give it our best crack."

As for the risk of injuries ahead of the trip to Ireland, Plumtree acknowledged the challenges. "It's a concern for all of us as coaches [from SA]; these big games, semi-finals and final, there's an extra edge to them from a physical point of view. It's full-on… and all the contact stuff there's probably another 20, 30 percent more impact behind it."

Despite these concerns, the Kiwi tactician concluded, "It's important for us to do well up at Ellis Park and give our best in the jersey, and then deal with what we have to deal with afterwards."

Photo: @SharksRugby/Twitter

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