Plum: Big stage awaits trailblazing Sharks

13/04/2024 17:33

John Plumtree is delighted for Sharks fans who have something to celebrate following a historic win in Durban on Saturday that secured their team a place in the Challenge Cup semi-finals for the first time.

The Sharks became the first South African team to reach the last-four stage of a European knockout competition by beating Edinburgh 36-30 in the Kings Park quarter-final.

Springbok double world champions Lukhanyo Am and Bongi Mbonambi, as well as flanker James Venter, crossed the whitewash while flyhalf Siya Masuku kicked 18 points to set up a blockbuster playoff with three-time winners Clermont Auvergne on the weekend of 3-5 May.

The Sharks are on a four-match winning streak, and winning the second-tier Challenge Cup will secure safe passage back to the Champions Cup next season for Plumtree's men, who are out of the race for a playoff spot in the Vodacom URC.

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The Durbanites will shuttle off to tackle the Glasgow Warriors in Scotland on Friday, before a trip to Welsh outfit Scarlets. Speaking post-match at Kings Park, Plumtree told reporters: "We've got a couple of big games before we get to the semi-finals but certainly, that semi-final, we'll have one eye on that and will use the next two [matches] to build our game.

"There's probably going to be some changes next week, we've had a few guys who've had a big workload. So we'll freshen up and then start our prep.

"But I'm feeling great, and I'm just happy for the fans … they haven't had a lot to cheer about but now they've got something to look forward to, and it's us playing a semi-final in London.

"It's a big stage against a quality French side [Clermont], so that’s something for us to really build towards."

A message from our player of the match #ChallengeCup#SHAvEDIpic.twitter.com/iJxWWZ2C0O

— The Sharks (@SharksRugby) April 13, 2024

"This was always going to be a tough challenge, playing Edinburgh again two weeks later, and I’m really proud of the coaches who've been working really hard," the head coach added.

"And the leaders, the way they adjusted in the second half, so I'm really pleased."

The first half at the Shark Tank was a topsy-turvy affair but the visitors couldn't maintain their initial ascendancy through the second stanza, as the hosts overcame a yellow card for Eben Etzebeth and 16-14 half-time deficit to establish dominance for a historic victory.

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"We were turning the ball over and not playing well and we looked like our confidence was taking a bit of a bash, and we had to do quite a bit at the beginning – I think we had like 38 percent of the territory and 38 percent possession," Plumtree said.

"We had no ball, no territory so it was pretty much what we did to them last time out and they were now doing it to us, so we had to win the referee over by being more disciplined.

"And just believing in ourselves that if we could tidy up some of our skill sets and both units – forwards and backs – that we could get on top of them.

"I felt that our attack, if we could pressure, we could get dominance, and at the same time we had to be more patient defensively because we were either going offside or conceding penalties at the ruck.

"It was an easy story to tell at half time, we just had to fix it up."

Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images/Getty Images

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