Plumtree: ‘I don’t like losing so I’d probably prefer to go for poles’

Sharks head coach John Plumtree said if the decision were up to him he would have made a different call in the dying minutes of the Sharks game against Leinster at Kings Park Stadium on Saturday.

The Irish table-toppers were 10–7 ahead at the end when the Sharks won a penalty around the middle of Leinster’s half. After losing two lineouts since hooker Fez Mbatha came on as a replacement, one might have reasoned that captain Siya Kolisi would go for posts, hopefully nail the kick, and secure a draw to earn two points in the United Rugby Championship (URC).

But Kolisi probably had Bongi Mbonambi’s try from a driving maul in the 52nd minute on his mind as he went for the win instead.

Unfortunately for the Sharks, Leinster were a match for them in the maul this time and stalled their drive. The ball didn’t emerge and the referee had to call a turnover.

At least the Sharks will be glad for a losing bonus point as they remain fourth on the log.

But they will rue many errors made during the game, not that Leinster were much better.

“It was two sides going hammer and tongs. They scored one more try than us so it’s just one more opportunity that they took than us,” Plumtree said afterwards.

“We had our opportunities inside their 22m area and didn’t come away with points.”

Sharks rue errors

Aside from Mbatha’s one skew lineout throw and another that went over the line to land in Leinster hands, the Sharks can rue a lineout lost five metres from Leinster’s tryline in the early minutes and a Jaden Hendrikse yellow card for cynical play that gave the visitors momentum and probably led to their overlap try two minutes later when they had an extra man.

“Both sides made lots of mistakes but it went down to them taking one more opportunity than us,” Plumtree said.

“Contestable kicking – they probably got on top of us in that department as well. It’s an area that’s bugging us.

“When a guy like [Aphelele] Fassi comes back it will help us in that department. But right now we seem to be battling to take those high balls.”

Plumtree would have taken the draw for the extra point

The Sharks coach touched on the decision to go for the lineout at the end, saying in such instances he usually leaves the decision-making to the captain and players on the field. If they were to ask him for his opinion, however, he would provide it.

“I don’t like losing so I’d probably prefer to go for poles. And it was Siya’s decision on field. He wanted to go for four points.

“In the end that cost us one point … but if we scored it would have been a different conversation.

“It was frustrating that we got held up (in the maul). The Irish are masters at stuffing your ball up between those types of moments. Again, it was just another opportunity that we didn’t take.”

Still, the Sharks coach commended Leinster on their aggressive line speed that cut down time and space for the Sharks to utilise.

He also lauded his team’s character, saying the loss wasn’t due to lack of effort.