Sharks coach John Plumtree was left ruing his team's lack of discipline and defensive nous after they suffered a defeat against the Glasgow Warriors in their first Vodacom URC match of the season. Despite the presence of nine debutants and a solid effort, the Sharks were bested 35-19 in a spirited contest away from home.
Plumtree didn't shy away from highlighting the issues that plagued his team throughout the match. "We were at times not very smart defensively, giving away penalties, our line out defence on the goal line wasn’t where it needed to be and that probably came down to some players not knowing our game," he admitted. The match saw the Sharks in contention for a good stretch, only to falter in key moments that eventually tipped the scales in favor of the Warriors.
"Couldn’t fault the effort of the boys. Obviously nine debutants so there was always going to be some challenges in terms of combinations and our continuity, but I’m really proud of the fight we showed,"
Despite the setbacks, Plumtree found a silver lining in the performance, noting the valuable experience gained by his team. "Some really nice learnings for us and some things we can work really hard on this week to improve our game, getting to know each other a little bit better," he reflected optimistically.
As the match wound down, the Sharks' discipline crumbled, resulting in yellow cards and a penalty try that sealed their fate. "But for 69 minutes, we were in the game but then they scored a try that probably put us away and at the end it was just disappointing to give away a couple of yellow cards and concede a penalty try," Plumtree lamented.
Despite the loss, the Sharks' coach remains confident in the potential growth from this experience, believing his team will emerge stronger. The defeat, while bitter, has provided plenty of "nice learnings", as Plumtree put it, that the Sharks intend to build upon as they look forward to their next URC challenge.
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Sharks coach John Plumtree was left ruing his team's lack of discipline and defensive nous after they suffered a defeat against the Glasgow Warriors in their first Vodacom URC match of the season. Despite the presence of nine debutants and a solid effort, the Sharks were bested 35-19 in a spirited contest away from home.
Plumtree didn't shy away from highlighting the issues that plagued his team throughout the match. "We were at times not very smart defensively, giving away penalties, our line out defence on the goal line wasn’t where it needed to be and that probably came down to some players not knowing our game," he admitted. The match saw the Sharks in contention for a good stretch, only to falter in key moments that eventually tipped the scales in favor of the Warriors.
"Couldn’t fault the effort of the boys. Obviously nine debutants so there was always going to be some challenges in terms of combinations and our continuity, but I’m really proud of the fight we showed,"
Despite the setbacks, Plumtree found a silver lining in the performance, noting the valuable experience gained by his team. "Some really nice learnings for us and some things we can work really hard on this week to improve our game, getting to know each other a little bit better," he reflected optimistically.
As the match wound down, the Sharks' discipline crumbled, resulting in yellow cards and a penalty try that sealed their fate. "But for 69 minutes, we were in the game but then they scored a try that probably put us away and at the end it was just disappointing to give away a couple of yellow cards and concede a penalty try," Plumtree lamented.
Despite the loss, the Sharks' coach remains confident in the potential growth from this experience, believing his team will emerge stronger. The defeat, while bitter, has provided plenty of "nice learnings", as Plumtree put it, that the Sharks intend to build upon as they look forward to their next URC challenge.