Sharks coach John Plumtree is hoping to take advantage of the timing of their next United Rugby Championship (URC) fixture – an away clash against Connacht on 29 November – which coincides with the Springboks’ northern hemisphere tour.
“When we play Connacht next game up, obviously the Boks will still be in Ireland, so we can use players there,” Plumtree explained, after Saturday’s much-needed 29-19 victory over the Scarlets – the team’s first URC win of the season. “I think there’s a Wales Test that same weekend, so we’ll just see what happens.
“A lot can happen over the next five weeks. There are going to be some challenges when we finish the November break, but we need to get a group of guys to prepare for Connacht without Springboks. I’ll use Springboks if they are available and rested.”
While Plumtree is eyeing reinforcements from the Springbok pool, he is mindful of the physical and mental toll of the long northern tour.
“The guys are up north for a long time, and this time of the year it’s difficult up north because it’s windy, cold and wet. There’s a lot of hotel time, so we’ll just have to see how each individual copes with the time away from home,” he said.
The Sharks mentor has endured a wretched run of luck on the injury front, with flyhalf Siya Masuku and prop Vincent Koch the latest casualties, admitting it made it hard for them to click as a team during a challenging start to the season.
“It was a little bit of a disruptive preparation, losing Siya Masuku at the captain’s practice (on Friday) and then Vincent Koch in the warm-up. I was really proud of the way Lee-Marvin Mazibuko stood up and Mawande Madanda came off the bench. I also thought flyhalf Jean Smith did really well, controlled proceedings.”
The Sharks boss will, however, have the advantage of time to rebuild cohesion in his squad during the five-week break.
The return of forwards Jason Jenkins and Neil van Heerden is a welcome boost, while a number of key players – Bongi Mbonambi, Vincent Tshituka, Lukhanyo Am and Makazole Mapimpi – remain on the Springbok standby list rather than in the main tour squad. That could give Plumtree a stronger core to work with as he looks to steady the ship and build momentum ahead of the crucial Connacht clash.
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