Sharks’ coach John Plumtree has revealed that their 6-12 loss to the Cheetahs has come with the added cost of losing prop Tendai (the Beast) Mtawarira for a month amongst others.
rugbyweek
Plumtree was particularly frustrated with the Sharks third loss of the season as he felt that it was a match they should have won.
“We created plenty of opportunities and I thought we played all the rugby,” Plumtree said.
“I think the Cheetahs played no rugby. They just kicked the ball away all night. We wanted to be a bit more ambitious and as positive as we could, but weren’t entirely accurate.
“Losing tonight’s a big set-back. We needed that win big time before going on tour, but didn’t quite get it and that puts us under a fair bit of pressure now.”
There was also more bad news on the injury front, after Springbok front-rower Tendai Mtawarira sustained a calf injury, while on-loan Lions debutant Andries Coetzee went off with a suspected dislocated shoulder.
Plumtree said the injuries were not ideal ahead of their departure for their four-leg away tour to New Zealand and Australia.
“It’s not looking good for Beast (Mtawarira) and he won’t be on the plane tomorrow.”
“He’s probably out for four weeks,” Plumtree said.
“I was really disappointed about Andries, because I thought he played really well too.”
“He could be out for a couple of months.”
Hey? The man is dillusional. He has has also coached Lamby into Morne mk2.
JP Pietersen is going to sign a two year deal to play in Japan. He will leave after thevS15.
So are the Sharks going to pay for Coetzee’s salary and medical expenses during his rehabilitation seeing that it all happened whist he was on loan? (Same as Taute in CT)
I really wonder if the Lions wen through all of their loan contracts with a fine tooth comb and a decent lawyer?
I doubt it. That would cost time and MONEY.
“I think the Cheetahs played no rugby. They just kicked the ball away all night.”
Mr Plumbtree, be sure to ask SANZAR to record your words in the Comments Column next to the Super Rugby logs.
Oh my goodness, I just realised there isn’t a Comments Column!
@ Scrumdown:Will the Lions have enough decent players left to play the promotion / relegation match?
Sorry to say but the Shark are now on a downwind spiral.
Everything just goes against them this season
and with their fall comes the Cheetahs rise
Rugby surely is a strange game.
I see JP Pietersen is heading for Japan later this year too…
Sharks country is not happy country at the moment!
5 @ Loosehead:
They hardly have enough players to dominate the Vodacom Cup at present, although their win this weekend over a previously undefeated Pumas side was well done and deserved.
7 @ grootblousmile: There is something very wrong in Deben.
9 @ Loosehead:
Yip…. Oompie Puma is on holiday out of the Country…. hehehe
Yeah, something is the matter in Sharks rugby, their play is stoid, one-dimentional, devoid of anything spectacular on attack and injuries are ravishing them at present.
@ Loosehead:
@ Loosehead:
Truth is I think with all of the un-injured Lions players due to be back in JHB 2 weeks PRIOR to the Promotion / Relegation games (per the loan agreements)it will be a close series between the Lions and the Kings, IF IT EVER HAPPENS.
The Kings will in all likelihood find the second half of the competition hard going and I expect that injuries will SEVERELY test their depth.
The SR experience will stand them (the Kings) in good stead, but as far as the Lions are concerned it remains to be seen whether 2 weeks is long enough to re-intergrate the returning players into the squad with any degree of success.
The Lions STILL do not have a defensive coach, and no matter what the outcome of any promotion game(s) this glaring ommission in their coaching team make up will surely be to their detriment in the future.
Sorry, last comment was also meant for GBS, not LH x 2.
Personally I don’t think the Kings / Lions promotion / relegation games will happen.
Cheeky has SARU’s ear amongst other peoples, and he will use the great match attendances as motivation to have a 3 year moritorium on possible relegation.
IMO, either the Lions will end up playing the second last SA franchise, or will have to wait until SANZAR re-negotiate a new SR format in 2-3 years time.
If the latter happens the Lions will be up the Braamfontein Spruit without a paddle, if the former happens, I can’t see them winning.
12 @ Scrumdown:
Hello Mr Kempies!
It seems more and more likely to me that the Southern Kings might just beat the Lions in the promotion / relegation games, but you are right, the Super Rugby season is long, we’re only just past halfway in the group stages and depth might become an issue later on for the Kings.
Their Tight Five is quite good, their loosies quite good (bar Luke Baardbek Watson who is absolutely kak), the 2 scrummies are quality, Catrakilis is probably the best flyhalf in SA at present, their centres are’nt shabby, wingers attack well but are thin on defence and in Whitehead they have a solid fullback.
If we now do a Lions comparison, even with loan players back (those not severely injured), there are some glaring holes in the Lions player ranks… and like you say they don’t have a defensive coach.
I fear for your side, brother.
@ grootblousmile:
Ja oh lykswa bestuurder!
Agree the Lions have holes, but I think that IF the games happen they’ll be close.
Lions big issues are all concerning depth. In most positions they should have 1 x decent player available, but if any injuries happen they are fooked.
Particularly concerning is scrummie and 10.
The Lions pack has scrummed well for a couple of years now, so don’t see a problem there, but as well as they scrum, so they are uber shyte at line-out time, and have been for 4 years.
Defensively the Lions have the opinion that they will just score more tries than they concede. A brilliantly insicive plan, IF you can carry it out.
In truth though, the plan is too often let down by a lack of ability and they end up loosing more than they win.
Time to start watching English Soccer methinks.
15 @ Scrumdown:
Or probably Premier League Darts.
Now maybe the Lions should recruit that Dutch darts player Martin van Gerwin as a hooker.
Only 24, and while not the quickest hooker around the park, at least he should be able to find his jumpers in a friggin’ line out.
16 @ Scrumdown:
Bwahahaha
Team of injured Sharks players. Or left behind for whatever reason.
15 Ludik
14 JP
13 Coetzee
12 Whitehead
11 Mvovo
10 James
9?
8 Kanko
7 Alberts
6 Botes
5?
4?
3
2 Bissie
1 Beast, Chadwick, Dell,
Back 3, Loosies, Front row. Massive losses.
JPP will only miss the CC in the next 2 years, it has nothing to do with being unhappy, Assumption is the route to many a downfall 😉
18 @ Sharks_forever:
Liming shits, your team is in a spot of bother, it seems.
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