Plumtree says Sharks will have to be better against Ulster

Sharks head coach John Plumtree said while his side were good in a few areas against Edinburgh last weekend, they would have to “be a bit better” when they take on Ulster.

The teams clash in the 16th round of the United Rugby Championship at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast on Saturday (kick-off 8.35pm).

The Sharks only won their nail-biting game against Edinburgh in Scotland last weekend courtesy of a try after the hooter. They named 12 Springboks in their starting XV for the game, including a handful who returned from injury and weren’t at their best, and received yellow cards on their way to winning 18–17.

Plumtree said the game felt like a pre-season match where so many players were out of their element. Still, he said the team improved, especially in their defence, following a tough talk from coaches at the half-time break.

Sharks carry confidence forward

“We just needed to get more accurate and stop their momentum,” Plumtree said. “They were getting too much fast ball. And on this surface, it is hard to stop. We couldn’t get off the line.

“So once we tidied up, we were way better. I am pleased we got the win under our belt but hopefully next week we will be a bit better and be able to carry more confidence into the next three games.”

The coach made mention of Jordan Hendrikse only slotting three of his six kicks at goal on the night, saying the player would be disappointed with that.

“For us it’s a bit of a wake-up call. We know we have to be better than that if we want to go away with those two tour wins [against Edinburgh and Ulster].”

The Sharks are fourth on the URC table with eight more points than fifth-placed Benetton. Barring permutations, they should only need one more win in those last three games against Ulster, Ospreys and Scarlets to finish in the top four and host a home quarter-final.

Neither Sharks nor Ulster are in good form

But the Sharks are not in great form. They were the weaker side in the Edinburgh game, securing only 39% possession and having half as many post-contact metres made. By all rights they should have lost the game.

Before Edinburgh, the Sharks lost 34–21 to Lyon in the Challenge Cup round of 16 and 10–7 to Leinster in the URC.

Their previous win only came from a one-point victory against 15th-placed Zebre at Kingspark Stadium in Durban last month (final score 35–34). It was a performance Siya Kolisis called “unacceptable” at the time.

Yet Ulster are not doing any better, coming from a two-game losing streak against Leinster (score 41–17) in the URC and Bordeaux Begles in the Champions Cup round of 16 (43–31).

They lie 10^th on the log but are only four points off fifth-placed Benetton.