VIDEO: The 'stakes are higher' for Plumtree this time round
SPOTLIGHT: John Plumtree says he is not the same coach that left the Sharks a decade ago, as he plots a way forward for the Durban-based franchise in his second stint.
Plumtree will re-join his former team in July to take over the head coach duties and he brings with him a wealth of experience.
Since his departure from the Sharks in 2013, Plumtree had stints as an assistant coach with Ireland, Japan and more recently the All Blacks.
He also had a stint with the Hurricanes at Super Rugby level in between those other posts and he is ready to share what he has learnt with the Sharks.
“I’ve changed quite a lot. I learnt a lot over the last 10 years,” said Plumtree.
“I have changed the way I coach and the way I manage people.
“I am way more detailed in what I do and I have simplified a lot of what I do as well.
“I have changed a lot and hopefully you will see that change pretty quickly. I am sure the people that know me best over there [in Durban] will see that change as well.”
With the amount of talent and other resources at his disposal, Plumtree knows that there will be a lot more pressure on him.
“The stakes are quite high.
“The stakes have gotten higher everywhere you coach in the world.
“There seems to be a lot more pressure nowadays, but I am prepared for that now more than ever.
“It’s not something that keeps me awake at night.
“I just back myself, my management and the talented group of players that I got to go out and play well and enjoy themselves and make the fans really happy and hopefully fill up that [Kings Park] grandstand again.”
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Unsettled
Plumtree has been keeping an eye on the Sharks while he was coaching around the world and he didn’t like what saw.
He now has a chance to make his beloved Sharks great again.
“I don’t think I have a score to settle. It’s more around me enjoying what I do and hopefully, the people that work alongside me enjoy having me there,” Plumtree explained.
“I am sort of in that space now as a coach. I have been coaching for a long time now and I still want to win trophies and I can’t think of a better place to do it than back in Durban.
“I think the Sharks have gone through a fair bit of unsettlement since I have left and it would be nice to settle things down again and create an environment that the players love to come and work in.
“Also, just tweaking the culture a little bit in a different way then we got a great chance of success.
“I guess that is where it all starts. It’s not so much thinking about the style of rugby.
“I’m thinking more about the people, environments and getting that right first and then the rugby will look after itself as long as we prepare them [players] as best as we can.”
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