All eyes will be on the crunch meeting tonight between outgoing Sharks rugby coach John Plumtree and incoming Sharks chief executive John Smit after Plumtree was told that his contract would not be renewed.
Unless something to the contrary transpires at the meeting – Plumtree will be there with his legal team to discuss a payout following the termination of his services – Plumtree will coach the Sharks for their remaining three Super Rugby matches with the home side taking on the Auckland Blues on Saturday.
Smit announced two weeks ago that he had chosen not to renew Plumtree’s contract, which concludes at the end of this year, and that he would create the new position of director of rugby, to be occupied by Brendan Venter, but that there would also be a head coach position, widely expected to be filled by former Sharks flank Brad MacLeod-Henderson.
Smit said at the time that Plumtree would continue as coach for the Sharks’ remaining three games, against the Blues on Saturday, against the Bulls in Pretoria next week and, finally, against the Southern Kings at Kings Park on July 13.
There has been speculation that Plumtree might instead finish up this evening when he negotiates his termination deal, but Smit said yesterday that this was not on the agenda and, as matters stood, Plumtree would be in charge for the next three weeks.
In their first formal face-to-face meeting, Plumtree will argue this evening that he has a binding contract for the next two years and should be paid out accordingly, no doubt adding up to a considerable sum. His legal team will contend that Plumtree had a verbal assurance from the current administration that he would continue as coach. It is a fact that current Sharks chief executive Brian van Zyl recommended to the board that Plumtree’s contract be extended for two years.
Smit is due to take office only on July 1, but has said he was asked by his new employers to contribute to certain contractual affairs because he would have to live with them. This is the time of year when negotiations take place for players and coaches, and it is understandable that the new boss would want to be party to new contracts.
The new coaching dispensation of Venter and Macleod-Henderson is only due to begin in the Currie Cup later this year.
Macleod-Henderson is the assistant coach of the Sharks under-21 team. The head coach for that team is Sean Everitt and, in an about turn, he is tipped to be Macleod-Henderson’s assistant in the Currie Cup.
In the meantime, the Sharks have a home match against the Blues in four days time, and the players have to pull themselves together and play for the pride of the Sharks and ithat of the outgoing Plumtree, who has been a popular coach for the past five years.
To this end, there is the good news that a host of Springbok players will come flooding back into the Sharks’ ranks for the match.
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer has released the players who served him well in the recently ended series against Samoa, Scotland and Italy, and that means Plumtree will have the services of Bismarck and Jannie du Plessis, Beast Mtawarira, Lwazi Mvovo, Patrick Lambie, Willem Alberts, Marcell Coetzee and Franco van der Merwe.
There is also the return from injury of former Springbok flyhalf Butch James and fullback Louis Ludik, so the Sharks will field a strong combination against the New Zealanders, but the question is how focused the team will be given the off-field drama of the past fortnight.
Plumtree, meanwhile, continues to hold his silence. He has steadfastly chosen to remain off-limits to the media. - The Mercury