'Noble' Bismarck hands over captaincy
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Bismarck du Plessis returns to the Sharks this weekend after serving a period of time away from the game, but, by his own noble request, will not be selected as captain for the match against the Highlanders.
Du Plessis was part of a list of senior Sharks players, including Frans Steyn and Jean Deysel, that suffered bans from playing after they were found guilty of foul play.
The Sharks are now gearing up for their first match on the road against an in-form Highlanders team, and Director of Rugby Gary Gold said that the hooker's decision to leave the captaincy to lock Marco Wentzel shows how humble he is.
"The situation is this, Bismarck has shown incredible humility about his personal situation over the past month and he feels that he just wants to get back into the Sharks team and make as big an impact as he can.
"It’s unbelievably noble of him to have this attitude. Marco Wentzel has done a good job and he will retain the captaincy," he said.
Gold admitted how thoroughly impressed he has been with du Plessis’s attitude since returning to the side, saying: "He’s positive and eager to contribute to the success of the team and turning our fortunes around.
"He is committed to doing everything he can to make a constructive difference.
"We have been really impressed by Bismarck’s attitude, he’s come into the team, he wants to prove his worth and play well for the Sharks again.
"Relinquishing the captaincy is a move that has been driven by him, a commendable gesture to ensure continuity, and an act that has drawn great admiration from the coaching staff as well as players around him.
"Ultimately, he has chosen team over individual and this speaks volumes about the character of the player."
Gold added that with du Plessis wanting to play well, the coaching staff will back his selection to give him that opportunity.
"He is an outstanding player and his influence on the field can never be underestimated. He is a leader and will only ever be seen as one in the Sharks set-up," added Gold.
"As far as I’m concerned, what’s happened has happened, he’s paid the price and we must move on from the incident now.
"We cannot forget the massive contribution he has made to the Sharks and will continue to make going forward."
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