Proud Plum shares Currie Cup final concern

09/15/2024 01:18 AM

John Plumtree is delighted with the fight the Sharks showed to seal a place in the Currie Cup final, but is concerned with how it will impact preparation for the opening URC fixtures.

A 98th-minute extra-time try from Trevor Nyakane, converted by Lionel Cronje, saw the Sharks hold the Bulls to a 40-40 draw in a thrilling semi-final at Loftus Versfeld.

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Down to 12 men in the closing stages of regular time after Francois Venter was sent off for a dangerous tackle, before replacement prop Dian Bleuler and fullback Jordan Hendrikse were sin-binned, the Sharks showed incredible defensive resilience to keep the hosts out.

“I am very proud with the grit and resilience we showed. It was a pretty dramatic match,” Plumtree said after the game. “Yellow cards, a red card, to be down to 12 men, but to keep the Bulls out at that time showed a lot of character.

“I am just really proud with our leaders on the pitch, the calmness they showed. Either team could’ve won that, we were lucky we got it, but I am just really proud, big time.”

The Sharks progressed to the final on a technicality, having scored six tries in the match to the Bulls’ five.

“I actually didn’t know the rules,” Plumtree said. “Lionel had to kick the conversion because we had more tries but I didn’t know the rules.

“There was a fair bit going on in terms of the rules, with the red card replacement after 20 minutes. The official didn’t know what was going on there as well. It must have been the first time it’s happened in the Currie Cup.”

While delighted with how his team fought in the 100-minute semi-final, Plumtree is also concerned with how the Currie Cup final against the Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday will impact the Sharks’ preparation for their opening URC fixtures.

The Sharks get their URC campaign underway with a three-game tour, starting with a tough fixture against Connacht in Galway one week after the final.

“The reward for not winning would’ve been a week off and would’ve given us time to prepare for the URC tour,” Plumtree explained. “Now we’ve won, we don’t get that reward. Now we’ve got to prepare for a final.

“It is something these boys will cherish. You don’t get too many finals in your career, so you’ve got to cherish every one.

“We will have to put a plan in place for after the game next week. We leave for Ireland on Monday, so we need a plan around our wellbeing, see who’s fit and who’s not.

“It’s a big week for our planning. We will have to give the boys a couple of days off, just to get over this game, 100 minutes at altitude. There’s a fair bit of recovery to do to get ready for the final. We picked up a couple of injuries tonight so we have work to do.

“There’s pluses and there’s minuses. It’s not ideal. The ideal preparation would be for me to go home and get this team ready for a tour. But we’ve got another game. It’s not ideal in those terms.

“We respect the Currie Cup because of tradition. Now that we are here, we might as well do our best to win it.”

Photo: Lee Warren/Gallo Images

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