Plumtree’s biggest job right now is to get Sharks players’ confidence up

With the Sharks rooted to the bottom of the United Rugby Championship table after four defeats to start the season, coach John Plumtree will have to rely on his vast experience to galvanise his team.

The Sharks take on the Irish province Connacht on Saturday at Durban’s Kings Park Stadium.

First home game

The positive for the Sharks is that they will be playing at home for the first time this season; however, the downside is they are facing a competent Connacht side.

Connacht are in fifth place on the table with 14 points, and they have won three matches in the four rounds of the URC this season.

Although they are going to the clash at the ‘Shark Tank’ on the back of a 25-22 loss to Edinburgh, they will be confident getting a win over the Sharks.

Plumtree, who has been in the game for years as a former player and coach, should know that any side that loses four matches on the trot will take a knock with regards to their confidence, and the Sharks will be no different.

The Sharks as a collective are low on confidence, they have not covered themselves in glory with their performances on their overseas tour, having lost to Munster, Leinster, Ospreys, and Italian side Zebre, which was an embarrassment for them.

Back to basics

It’s now vital that the Sharks coaching staff pick up their players as many of their heads will be hanging down. They need to work on helping them to believe in their abilities and that entails working on their basics in training.

The Durban side failed to nail their basics in Europe, they fell short at the set-piece, discipline, handling errors and were loose in defence at times.

Working on those aspects, plus their attacking variations, will give them a chance to get their first win for the season. The Sharks will have to be positive from the get-go at the weekend and hope that their fans show up to produce a hostile atmosphere for their visitors from Ireland.

A win for the Sharks will boost their morale and see their returning Springboks walk into a team that’s riding on a high.