VIDEO: Plumtree reveals real reason behind Kiwi 'powerlifter' signing for Sharks
When the name Joel Hintz popped up on the Sharks team sheet last week, it caught all but the closest team insiders by surprise.
To complicate matters further, Hintz does not have much of a profile outside of New Zealand and online information about him is minimal.
He came on as a second-half replacement for the Sharks in the 15-16 loss to the Stormers and conceded several penalties.
It raised some questions: ‘Exactly why did Sharks coach John Plumtree sign him? What value does he add and what are his strengths?’
Plumtree said the stocky front row forward is a ‘renowned’ scrummager, despite struggling on debut in the loss to the Stormers.
“He hasn’t had a really big Super Rugby career,” Plumtree said of the 27-year-old, who hails from Wairarapa, New Zealand.
Hintz attended St. Patrick’s College Silverstream and Wairarapa College.
He has represented Canterbury, Wellington, and Hawke’s Bay.
However, he has only been part of the Hurricanes wider training group and never really got a regular Super Rugby gig.
Hintz is no stranger to success, playing a core role for Hawke’s Bay in their triumph in the 2020 NPC Second Division (Championship).
He also won New Zealand’s prestigious Ranfurly Shield with Hawke’s Bay – the Napier-based Magpies holding the trophy for an impressive 15-game stretch (including 14 successful challenges), from October 2020 until losing at home to Wellington in September 2022.
Hintz has also won the Ranfurly Shield with Canterbury in 2017.
“He has had a really good NPC career with Hawke’s Bay,” Plumtree told @rugby365com.
“They were NPC Championship winners in 2020 and reached the NPC [Premiership] Final last season.
“He has been an anchor in their scrum”
The Sharks coach said it is not easy to find a tighthead prop with his credentials.
(WATCH as Sharks coach John Plumtree explains to @king365ed the real reason behind his decision to sign Kiwi powerlifter Joel Hintz….)
“It was a case of seeing what he could do for us,” Plumtree told @king365ed, adding: “He is only contracted to the end of this month [January].
“I am not happy with the depth we have at tighthead prop at the moment.
“Hopefully we will have [World Cup-winning Springbok] Vincent [Koch[ back in about six weeks.”
Apart from Koch, who has been struggling with a troublesome knee since the World Cup, fellow Bok Coenie Oosthuizen is also sidelined with an undisclosed injury at present.
His build – at just 178 centimetres – makes him a tricky customer for taller loosehead props.
“He has a powerlifting background,” Plumtree said about the stout front row forward who competed regularly as a powerlifter, taking first place in several national and international tournaments for his weight class.
“He came to South Africa in a powerlifting competition five or six years ago.
“He is a powerful young man and a similar height to Ox [Nche].
“They can be a bit of a handful, those short, powerful props.”
On Saturday Nche will start against the Lions’ man-mountain, Asenathi Ntlabakanye – who is not just about 10 centimetres taller, but is close to 30 kilograms heavier.
The Sharks coach said the Lions – unlike the Stormers last week – don’t use tricks and scrum straight forward.
“Hopefully it will be a really good scrum battle between two sets of eight,” Plumtree said, adding: “As much as I like to see a good scrum battle, I would also like to see the ball in play and have a really good game to watch.”
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