Plumtree: Leinster won't let Sharks off the hook

03/22/2025 01:37 PM

Sharks coach John Plumtree has laid down the gauntlet for his team in the aftermath of a lacklustre effort against Zebre, with a looming clash against Leinster.

The Sharks scored five tries at Kings Park on Saturday to edge the Italians 35-34, a performance that left Plumtree unimpressed and concerned about what may happen when the URC log leaders visit Durban in round 14, smarting from their first loss of the season, against the Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday night.

READ: Kolisi stars as sloppy Sharks survive Zebre scare

“It’s going to take a while to digest that performance,” Plumtree said at the post-match press conference after the Sharks required Jordan Hendrikse’s touchline conversion of Ethan Hooker’s try to avoid losing to 15th-placed Zebre.

“It just shows you that no matter who you play against, if your skill sets are poor and you can’t build pressure with the ball, win the aerial battles and dominate the kicking game, it’s going to be a long day at the office.

“It doesn’t get much uglier than today’s performance. We can’t take credit away from Zebre, they’ve been great this season. They were dangerous and their fullback Geronimo Prisciantelli was unreal. You have to be careful, there are no easy games in this competition.

“In the middle of the park we weren’t good enough today. The kicking today was poor. We weren’t winning our contestable kicks and that hurt us. We made it easy for them. Our skills were terrible and that nearly cost us the game.

“Some of our combinations didn’t click today, especially in the backline. The team won’t be happy and they will be hard on themselves. We have a lot of Springboks out there that are really proud guys. It wasn’t what we can deliver as a team – as coaches and management, we could have done better too. There will be a deep dive into it.”

READ: Kriel boots Bulls past Leinster

Plumtree underlined the importance of a response from the Sharks when Leinster take to Kings Park seeking to bounce back from a 21-20 reverse at Loftus Versfeld.

“We know a performance like today won’t cut it against Leinster,” he said. “They will punish us and not let us off the hook.

“Leinster won’t give us the moments that Zebre gave us. We will have to play better in every aspect of the game. They won’t be very scared of us after the game today.”

Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images

The post Plumtree: Leinster won’t let Sharks off the hook appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.