There is no question that the TV cameras will regularly shift to former Sharks coach John Plumtree during tomorrow morning’s match (9.30am) between the Hurricanes and the Sharks in Wellington, but the truth is Plumtree long ago gave up any intention of proving that Kings Park were wrong to let him go in mid-2013.
He honestly could not care less because his life journey has taken him back to exactly where he ultimately wanted to be – in his home town of Wellington, where last year he said he would be content to see out his career.
Plumtree immediately joined Ireland after being sacked by the Sharks and made a big impact as their forwards coach as the country went on to win the Six Nations with another Kiwi, Joe Schmidt, as head coach, and then came a call from Wellington coach Chris Boyd, who was a consultant at the Sharks in 2010, asking him to return to New Zealand late last year.
“Life has a funny way of working itself out,” Plumtree said at the time. “Durban and Wellington were the only places where I wanted to settle, and it has worked out that I returned to New Zealand, and that is just fine with me and my family.
“But it by no means that I regret a fantastic life in Durban where I met so many good people and coached awesome players.”
As it has turned out, Plumtree has been responsible for adding steel and structure to a Hurricanes team that since the inception of the competition in 1996 have had flamboyant backs but never the forward infra-structure for the team to be serious championship contenders.
The Hurricanes are top of the table, they have won nine out of 10 games while the Sharks are four-from-11. It is a significant factor that ‘Canes flyhalf Beaudon Barrett is out of the game through injury but Boyd by the same token has rested another key threat, scrumhalf TJ Perenara.
Clearly Boyd trusts his depth in a new half-back pairing of James Marshall and Chris Smylie, just as Sharks Director of Rugby Gary Gold has opted for a new-look combination of Lionel Cronjé and Stefan Ungerer.
Gold will feel he has nothing to lose and has picked a team that allows opportunity for a host of newcomers and rotation of positions.
There is a notable change at fullback, with Lwazi Mvovo shifting from wing and Odwa Ndungane moving back out to the wing.
Francois Steyn is back from suspension at 12 for Andre Esterhuizen, who possibly did not make full use of his opportunities while the Springbok was suspended, while on the left wing S’Bura Sithole will be full of hunger but one wonders why he does not play 13 and out-of-form JP Pietersen moves out to the wing, his natural position? A curious selection.
In the forwards, there is a good opportunity for the incumbent Springbok front row of Jannie and Bismarck du Plessis and Beast Mtawarira to make a big statement against the Plumtree-coached ‘Canes pack.
Gold, struggling against the in-coming Wellington tide, offered his usual hope to Sharks supporters.
“The Hurricanes are a team on an absolute high, their performance against the Crusaders last week was outstanding and this is going to be one of the bigger challenges for most of our players for many a time, especially with our backs against the wall,” Gold said from the New Zealand capital. “We’re playing the best team in the competition; it’s going to be an unbelievable challenge, but one that’s going to make us grow as a group.
“From our point of view, we need to concentrate on the things we can do well to hurt them,” he said. “We know we have the ability to do well, even though we haven’t done it very often. But we’re a proud bunch of guys and this is an opportunity against the odds to step up to the plate.”
Teams
Hurricanes: Nehe Milner-Skudder, Cory Jane, Conrad Smith (capt), Ma’a Nonu, Matt Proctor, James Marshall, Chris Smylie, Victor Vito, Ardie Savea, Blade Thomson, James Broadhurst, Jeremy Thrush, Ben Franks, Motu Matu’u, Chris Eves Replacements: Brayden Mitchell, Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, Reggie Goodes, Callum Gibbins, Brad Shields, Frae Wilson, Otere Black, Rey Lee-Lo
Sharks: Lwazi Mvovo, Odwa Ndungane, JP Pietersen, Frans Steyn, S’bura Sithole, Lionel Cronjé, Stefan Ungerer, Renaldo Bothma, Etienne Oosthuizen, Marcell Coetzee, Marco Wentzel (capt), Stephan Lewies, Jannie du Plessis, Bismarck du Plessis, Beast Mtawarira. Replacements: Franco Marais, Dale Chadwick, Lourens Adriaanse, Mouritz Botha, Kyle Cooper, Conrad Hoffmann, André Esterhuizen, Waylon Murray - The Star