Plumtree putting emotions aside for Sharks clash
On Saturday the Hurricanes will play the Sharks at Kings Park in Durban – a place which the 50-year-old called home for many years before his return to New Zealand
Plumtree represented the Sharks as a player for 10 years and another five as head coach between 2008 and 2012.
"I always thought one day I'd come back to Durban with the Hurricanes and it's finally happening so it's about making sure I keep those emotions in check and never [forget] what my role is for the team and that's what I've done so far," Plumtree told hurricanes.co.nz ahead of the Hurricanes second and final match of their South African tour.
"It's been a busy week for me, a lot of friends, a lot of family, a lot of people around and managing that and getting the team ready has kept me pretty busy. Going to the stadium on Saturday is going to be an interesting one for me, but one that I'm really looking forward to as well.
"The Shark Tank holds a lot of special memories for me so visiting the Shark Tank with the Hurricanes couldn't be better. It's the two teams that've have a big impact on my career."
The Hurricanes outplayed the Lions in Johannesburg last week, winning 50-17 and Plumtree has called for the players to produce solid performance on defence.
"I basically said to the boys that their defensive effort in the weekend against the Lions wasn't about me, it wasn't about Cory Jane," Plumtree said.
"It was about each individual in that team and being prepared to work really hard for each other. That's been the message and they've got to bring that intensity again defensively if we want to have some success over here.
"If we can work and put a lot of pressure on their playmakers: Willie Le Roux, Garth April, Patrick Lambie if he gets off the bench, if we can put them under pressure we can get some reward out of that."
Fullback James Marshall, who returns to the Hurricanes starting XV this week, believes the Sharks will be more physical than what the Lions were last week.
"They bring a real physical edge and when they get on top of teams then you in for a really long day," said Marshall.
"They are hard to tackle, they fall in awkward positions, so we have to get our defence right."
But as big and strong as he expects the Sharks to be it is Le Roux who Marshall expected to provide the biggest threat.
"He's always been one of my favourite players outside of New Zealand. He's got a great skill set and is very dangerous with ball in hand," he added.
Source: hurricanes.co.za
