Plumtree saga a disaster - Jamieson

Axed Sharks coach John Plumtree File photo: Anesh Debiky

Axed Sharks coach John Plumtree File photo: Anesh Debiky

Published Jun 14, 2013

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Durban - Axed Sharks coach John Plumtree has been treated shoddily and unethically, says the captain of the Natal team that first won a Currie Cup, Craig Jamieson.

“I think the whole process has been a bit of a disaster,” said Jamieson, who led the Natal team that famously beat Northern Transvaal 18-12 at Loftus Versveld in 1990. It was the first of two winning Currie Cup medals for rugged flank Plumtree, who was also part of the winning Natal team in 1996.

Jamieson - who was himself the top administrator at Kings Park, being the managing director of the Natal Rugby Union from 1992-4 - described new Sharks chief executive John Smit as a “legend on the rugby field, but an under-19 player in the business world”.

Jamieson said Plumtree had been given a verbal undertaking that his contract would be extended for a further two years, so when the blow fell this week it was as unexpected as it was brutal.

“I’m not a lawyer, but if I were John, I would consider taking the matter to court,” said Jamieson.

Outgoing Sharks chief executive Brian van Zyl made a point of saying at Tuesday’s press conference at Kings Park that he had recommended that Plumtree be given a two-year extension to his contract.

Clearly Van Zyl was overruled by the Sharks board, headed by president Stephen Saad, the billionaire owner of Aspen Pharmacare.

However, verbal promises can be legally binding and the matter could end messily if Plumtree decides to go the legal route.

Jamieson, whose other administrative badge was that of tournament director of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, said Plumtree had been an excellent coach for the Sharks since he took over in 2008.

In that time, the Kiwi has taken the team to two Currie Cup titles, two Currie Cup finals and a Super Rugby final.

Last year Plumtree was named coach of the year. This year, however, the Sharks failed to reach the final stages of the Super Rugby competition, largely because of an unprecedented number of injuries to top players.

“There can be different ideas of the way forward on the field, and no one’s against freshening up the way the team plays, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to go about making changes, and in Plum’s case the matter has been handled badly,” Jamieson said.

Asked for his opinion on Venter as a coach, Jamieson conceded that he had enjoyed success, but described him as a “hot-headed character with an autocratic style”.

“I don’t know whether his way of doing things will be right for the Sharks. I suppose time will tell,” he said.

Jamieson also said Smit’s plan lacked clarity.

“Is he going to have a director of rugby and a team coach. Or will the director of rugby take both roles? Nobody knows.”

The former Natal scrumhalf said that what had happened this week broke with the past rugby culture of the union where problems were sorted out in-house and after proper consultation.

Suddenly, the union was losing both its long-serving executive officer (Van Zyl) and its successful coach (Plumtree) at the same time.

“It’s a very radical move. To be honest, it’s a gamble, and only time will tell whether it succeeds. But whatever happens, Plumtree has been treated shoddily after all his years of loyalty as a player and a coach,” Jamieson said.

The Mercury

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