Sharks head coach John Plumtree says Friday night’s last-gasp win in Edinburgh is a “wake-up call” for his troops if they want to bank two wins on tour.
The Sharks trailed 10-6 at half time in the round 15 Vodacom URC clash at Hive Stadium, and were behind for 62 minutes of the match before wing Makazole Mapimpi’s try secured a 18-17 win for the visitors.
“I thought Edinburgh’s skill sets were outstanding in these conditions, certainly way better than ours,” Plumtree said in a pitchside interview with Premier Sports post-match. “They came out and were more physical to start with, dominated the gainline; they put us under the pump physically and we never really got going in the game.”
The Sharks’ performance was hampered by yellow cards to skipper Eben Etzebeth and fellow Springbok Lukhanyo Am, with fullback Aphelele Fassi also forced off with an ankle injury. Despite these setbacks and missed goal-kicking opportunities from flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse, the Durbanites managed to stay within striking distance.
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“I was pleased that in the second half, we got a little bit more momentum and got our game going a bit,” Plumtree said. “We had some opportunities, and we missed goals from Jordan, which he won’t be too happy about. But, I was really proud of the boys.
“They were tough at the end of the game, on the goal line there. A couple of other big moments that we also just nailed.”
Edinburgh twice appeared certain to seal victory in the final quarter, but desperate Sharks defence – including a crucial maul stop by Siya Kolisi and a combined effort from Ethan Hooker and Mapimpi to prevent Jack Brown from scoring – kept them in the hunt.
Discussing Mapimpi’s match-winning score, which came after a sustained period of pressure and a well-executed lineout drive, Plumtree highlighted replacement Siya Masuku’s contribution.
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“First of all, I was really happy for Siya Masuku there, to throw that wide ball. Obviously to keep the ball for 10 or 12 phases under the post… I was just praying that we weren’t going to get held up over the line,” he said.
“We did have an arm out for a penalty but I didn’t want another scrum if we probably were going to go to the corner, so that was really the moment we needed to finish the game.”
The win moved the fourth-placed Sharks, who face Ulster in Belfast next week, to within one point of the Vodacom Bulls on the URC log, with the Herd facing Munster on Saturday.
“It’s sort of been a bit of a story of our season really, with lots of one-pointers, but always some tough contests,” Plumtree said. “We just allowed too much momentum, and that put the pressure on our wider defence. We couldn’t get up off the ground.
“We didn’t have the numbers and they managed to score a couple of tries out wide, which is not good enough from our side.
“So yeah, there was a little bit of a spray at half time, from the leaders as well. We got our act together in the second half but still, for us, it’s a bit of a wake-up call. We know we have to be better than that if we want to go away with two wins [on tour].”
Photo: Calum Chittleburgh/SNS Group via Getty Images
