Plumtree's second era in Shark Tank ends abruptly
NEWS: John Plumtree’s exit from the Sharks structures has been as abrupt as one can expect from a man forced to walk the proverbial plank.
His ‘mentoring’ role, after being replaced as head coach by JP Pietersen late last year, has not materialised.
In fact, there is simply no role for him in the Shark Tank.
It was December 5 when the Sharks announced that JP Pietersen would replace Plumtree as head coach in an interim role.
In January, they confirmed that Pietersen’s appointment is now permanent.
Back in December, Sharks CEO Shaun Bryans said: “Plum has played an important role in guiding our squad through a challenging and evolving period, and his influence has been invaluable.
“He will remain part of our high-performance system, and will continue to contribute in a capacity that is still being finalised.”
On Friday, in a media round table, Bryans revealed that the planned role for the New Zealander has not materialised.
“He came into the organisation at a difficult time for the Sharks and really has been hugely helpful in almost affecting a turnaround,” he said of Plumtree.
“I think we’ve gotten to the point now where we are very much focused on building for the future, so there isn’t really a role for John in the structure. That is the bottom line.”
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Asked about the mention of a ‘mentoring role’, the CEO said the restructuring of their High Performance System changed things.
“Obviously, we’re trying to design a high-performance system for the future,” he said.
“One of the key issues speaks to alignment and communication.
“I think it’s important to keep the structure quite simple and not to have any confusion.
“Plum is a wonderful coach and has done a great job here at the Sharks, but when you move into a new era, it’s best that you move into a new era.”
It marks the end of Plumtree’s second – and less successful – tenure at the Sharks, where he also enjoyed an illustrious playing career.
Under Plumtree, the Sharks won the Challenge Cup in Europe, the Currie Cup and the South African Shield in the United Rugby Championship.
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