Sharks coach John Plumtree admitted after the Absa Currie Cup match against the Lions that he was happy with his team’s performance at The Absa Stadium Durban, scoring five tries and taking a full compliment of log points out of the game.

“I thought we played well,” he said afterwards. “There was a lot of passing, a lot of movement of the ball, the players enjoyed playing and it was a good spectacle to watch. When you build pressure you will get reward and the Lions got a bit tired with all the tackling they had to put in. When you spend extended periods of time defending, you know you will get a drop-off defensively later. We knew we had to work hard early on to tire them out later and that’s exactly what happened.

“We built the phases and I was happy with that.”
His opposite number, John Mitchell, had a different set of emotions. “We gave a very disappointing performance, especially in the second half,” he admitted. “Our inability to show composure resulted into the two intercept tries which were changing moments in the game.

“We were right in the contest at half time but the opportunities which presented themselves weren’t converted and we didn’t show composure at vital times. I thought we were lazy and inaccurate at the tackle and that allowed The Sharks to get momentum.”
Asked his thoughts on Patrick Lambie, he couldn’t say enough good things about the youngster who has been selected in three positions this campaign and excelled in each. “He’s a very good player, a well-balanced runner and very calm; the right temperament. I believe he understands the time and space to play Test rugby.”

With very little kicking in the game from The Sharks, it was clear that the ball-in-hand approach worked for The Sharks. A flyhalf who dictates with the hands rather than the boot is what characterised Lambie’s play on the weekend. “I thought he had an accomplished game,” Plumtree continued. “He was a threat on the line, his passing was accurate and his communication with the forwards was good. That’s why I like him at 12 and 10 because he is closer to the ball.

“Andries Strauss was another who played really well. We got a lot of go-forward ball, our big ball carriers provided that and when you get quick ball, it makes attacking easier and defending harder. We got some good continuity in our game.”

In adapting to the laws which favour quick ball on attack and the fact that The Sharks have now scored 22 tries in five matches, scoring four bonus points for tries, Plumtree added that, “The rules are designed for the ball-in-hand approach, but the key is to have players working hard off the ball to secure possession. You need to be able to hold onto the ball and not turn over possession because teams are retaining possession for a number of phases.

“If you keep kicking, they run back at you and you defend for another 15 phases. You run the risk of falling behind if you don’t adapt.”
The disappointment coming out of the game was the early injury to flank Jean Deysel who limped off the field in the early stages. “He might have done a PCL (posterior cruciate ligament in the knee) which could rule him out for between six and eight weeks,” his coach explained. “I was getting excited even though he was only on for a short time. It’s scary what he and Willem Alberts can do so it’s disappointing for him and for us.”

Courtesy: Sharksrugby.co.za