Having led the Hollywoodbets Sharks to the semi-finals of the URC in the second season of his second stint at the helm of the Durban franchise, head coach John Plumtree has detailed where improvements need to be made with an eye on the 2025/26 campaign.
The 59-year-old also reflected on the unique challenges that come with leading such a Springbok-laden squad, as well as their struggles in the European Rugby Champions Cup.
“[It’s been a] tough season. I’ve been learning a lot, [it’s my] second year in the URC. There’ve been some real tough periods in the season, particularly after the internationals, the November series. Then you’ve got those Champions Cup games and we’ve got our Boks coming back and they’re tired.
“How we can compete in that [Champions Cup] tournament with some players that have just had [so many] internationals is a challenge. Then after Christmas they go through their Springbok resting, so it’s us navigating that period with the rest of the team when we don’t have those players available.
“Then when you do get everyone back, it’s about where you’re sitting on the log and how you can progress towards qualifying for quarters and semis and finals in both competitions.
“Having a large group of Springboks, and navigating them through a busy URC and Champions Cup season post those internationals is quite a challenge. The key for us is making sure we have the depth in our squad to do well without them, and I think we’ve showed that this year. But I think it’s going to be a continual challenge for us to keep strengthening this squad so that we can do that.
“I think we’ve done really well this year, if you think of some of the wins we’ve had. But coaching this Sharks side is not for the faint-hearted. It keeps me awake at night, that’s for sure.”
Considering the side finished the previous season of the URC in 14th-place, plenty of progress has already been made, though Plumtree knows the team still has some way to go before realistically matching up to Europe’s Big Dogs.
“Last year I didn’t know anything about the URC when I came here as a coach. I had to break in a management team, a coaching team, we had a whole lot of players that at the end of the season exited out. They weren’t good enough in my mind to be in the squad, and then we went about trying to strengthen it. We brought some good players in.
“Yes it is a better season [in 2024/25]. The Champions Cup is not good for us right now because of the injuries that we had over that period, and again that’s off the back of that massive Springbok campaign. We’re going to have to work out how we can do better in that competition.
“Because the players do really want to compete in that tournament, they really want to be there on that big stage at the end. But we’ve just got to work out how we can do it, and we need a little bit of luck.”
