Plumtree applauds the effort of Sharks players in Stormers loss

Despite seeing his side lose a seventh United Rugby Championship game on Saturday night against the Stormers in Cape Town, Sharks coach John Plumtree was encouraged by his side’s performance.

The Sharks fell short against the Stormers, narrowly losing 16-15 in a tight affair in front of a 40,000-plus crowd at Cape Town Stadium.

Unlike their trip to Pretoria early in the month, where they lost 44-10 to the Bulls, the Sharks turned up against the Stormers.

They made the game a contest, nullifying the Stormers and being competitive right throughout the 80-minute game.

Plumtree’s charges scored two tries compared to the Stormers’ one but were let down by decision-making in crucial moments towards the end of the game and ultimately lost.

“We had to show up”

However, it was not all doom and gloom for Plumtree, who left Cape Town proud of how his team fronted up in the match as they did not suffer a rather embarrassing defeat.

“It was a close game, proud of my boys’ effort,” Plumtree said in his post-match press conference.

“We had to show up, otherwise we were going to go away really disappointed; at least we are disappointed because of the result and not disappointed because we didn’t show up physically and weren’t in the fight…we were in the fight. I’m proud of the boys for that,” he said.

“They can win”

Plumtree also applauded for how they closed out the game as the margins were tight.

“The Stormers may not have been as good as they have been in the last couple of weeks. You have got to hand it to them, they can win close games. They can light it up as well and win quite easily. They must be proud as well of their performance,” he said.

The loss means the Durban outfit remains second from bottom on the points table. Pressure is mounting on Plumtree and Co as results have not been good this term.

Plum call for patience

The veteran coach pleaded for patience from the fans, as he too wants to see the team succeed.

“We have got to keep building, there’s a lot to do in Durban,” Plumtree said.

“We feel like we’ll get on the right track eventually, it’s going to take a bit of time. The key for all of the Sharks fans is to just stay patient, it’s been tough over the years.

“As much as I want success, and I want it quickly, I know that I can’t. I know there’s a long game to this. I’m a real impatient person but that won’t help and I need other people around me to be patient. It’s going to take a little while to get everything that I want,” he said.