URC: Sharks boss John Plumtree vows to keep fighting after disappointing start to URC

Plumtree’s charges only grabbed two points on their tour north. The Sharks failed to earn any bonus points against Glasgow Warriors and Leinster, with a dour draw against the lowly Dragons their only reward.

The Durban franchise now host Ulster and Scarlets at Kings Park, which is becoming somewhat of a fortress for the Sharks. A plethora of Springboks – including captain Siya Kolisi, Grant Williams, Ox Nche and Andre Esterhuizen – will be available for selection.

“We’ll keep fighting hard and make sure we get it right over the next fortnight,” said Plumtree.

“[We’ve got] a couple of home games, and we’ve got to work real hard and get into this competition.

“The team’s disappointed, and collectively we’ve got to take responsibility to be better over the next two weeks, and that’s what we’ll do.

“It was always going to be a pretty tough tour for us, with a lot of disruptions, but there are no excuses now. We’ve got to get back to South Africa and play really well in front of our fans.”

Reflecting on the 31-5 loss to reigning URC champions Leinster, a dispirited Plumtree heaped praise on the Irish giants’ organised defence.

“Obviously, really disappointing,” he added.

“We weren’t good enough, and we’ve got a massive job ahead of us the next two weeks,” Plumtree commented after the game.

“[It was a] tough night for us. We knew the start was going to be massively important. They came out fast and we just didn’t get the contestable kicks in terms of regaining the ball in the air.

“We had a few soft moments defensively that allowed them to build that scoreboard pressure early. In the last 10 or 15 minutes of the first half, we got back into the game, but it was really a case of catch-up rugby. In the second half, we did our best, but their defence was just too good.

“Once we gave them that lead, it just gave them that confidence to defend really well, and we just didn’t fire enough shots.”