Plumtree urges Sharks to play as a team against the Stormers

Sharks coach John Plumtree is asking his players to put on a team performance when they tackle the Stormers on Saturday in the United Rugby Championship at Durban’s Kings Park (5.05pm).

It has been doom and gloom for the Sharks in the URC this term. The team are rooted to the bottom of the points table.

Plumtree’s side have been inconsistent on the field, and that has seen them lose eight of their nine opening games in the competition.

‘We were pretty good’

One of their best showings this term was in the reverse fixture against the Stormers in Cape Town in the festive season. The Sharks put on a great effort but fell short, losing 16-15.

Plumtree will use their performance from that game as a blueprint for Saturday’s encounter.

“The set piece battle is massive against the Stormers. That is an area of our game we are working hard on and showing some good signs of improvement,” Plumtree said this week.

“They bring a lot of heat in terms of their line speed defensively, so you have to have a good strategy around how you are going to play them. On the same side, when they have possession, they have a lot of dynamic players; defensively we have got to be good on the day as well.

“It’s got to be a team performance; we were pretty good for part of the game in Cape Town, and there were elements of our game that let us down as well. We know what to expect and we are working hard on our game so we can cope with what they have.”

‘We can still qualify’

Even though the Sharks seem down and out in the URC, they are not throwing in the towel just yet.

Plumtree believes that his side can still qualify for the playoffs as they have six home games.

“We are looking for consistency in our performance to find some real confidence and belief, as to how we can play this game,” he said.

“There are nine games to go in the URC, and we feel like we can still get up the table and hopefully qualify.”