VIDEO: The banter, the 'brick wall' and Taine Plumtree

VIDEO: The Sharks will come face to face with the Scarlets’ Welsh international Taine Plumtree, son of Sharks coach John Plumtree, and were warned about the dangers the flanker will pose.

Last weekend, the Scarlets kept their hopes of making the United Rugby Championship play-offs alive with an emphatic bonus point victory over the Lions, running in four tries.

What laid the platform for that victory was their dominance at the breakdown, where the likes of Alex Craig, Sam Lousi, Josh Macleod, Plumtree, and South African Marnus van der Merwe provided lightning-quick ball but also made life hell for the Lions’ attack.

Sharks loose forward James Venter will come face to face with his coach’s son, and was asked by reporters on Tuesday if Taine Plumtree’s name popped up in team meetings this week.

“We’ve had some good banter this week.

“This morning, we looked at some clips of their defensive effort, and he [John Plumtree] said there is a big brick wall there, so watch out for him, referring to Taine,” Venter said with a smile.

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“As a team, we are not too focused on the individuals, but on Saturday, we will definitely make him aware that the boys are there, we know who he is.

“We are not going to hold back for him,” he stated.

The Sharks, having qualified for the quarterfinal after beating Ospreys 29-10 last weekend, are going into their last game of the regular season with confidence.

A victory on Saturday and a Glasgow defeat at the hands of Leinster can move them up to third place.

Venter says this is their last chance to build their confidence and come together as a unit.

“We haven’t had the full 80-minute performance. We got close against Munster and Glasgow when we started to find some great form.

“We are one game away from being a really, really good side. This weekend could be the game for us.

“The Scarlets game can help us to go into the knockouts with massive confidence,” Venter said, adding: “We would be playing someone who is in sixth place rather than fifth.”

The flanker, who joined the Sharks in 2019, is coming to the end of his term with the Durbanites before heading off to Gloucester, while he also recently graduated with a law degree.

 

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“The Sharks are my childhood club, I grew up on the South Coast, and represented the Sharks throughout school rugby.

“It was always a dream to play for the Sharks at the professional level. I’ve done that for six years.

“The Sharks have had a massive impact moulding me as a player and person, just being in this environment, so I’m very grateful to have lived out a dream of mine.

“And hopefully we can make it a memorable season.”