A heart of green and gold
22 Jan 2013
John Plumtree remains adamant that for him when it comes to rugby, South Africa is No 1, writes MARK KEOHANE in Business Day Sport Monthly.
John Plumtree’s wife is South African. His son is South African. His team of choice, as a player and coach, the Sharks, is South African. Often, Plumtree is referenced as the Sharks’ New Zealand-born coach, but he sees it differently. When it comes to rugby he’s more South African than Kiwi. In fact, he’s more Shark than anything else.
Plumtree has aspirations to coach the Springboks, as is the case with any South African coach. He identifies with South African rugby more than any other and while there will always be a proud Kiwi in Plumtree, when it comes to rugby the identification is very South African.
The jersey Plumtree prides most is a Springbok Sevens jersey, earned in 1994 when representing South Africa at the Hong Kong Sevens.
‘I reckon I must have been the first Kiwi to wear the green and gold,’ he jokes. ‘It was a surreal moment in the change room; a very special moment. A very strong Springbok Sevens team went to Hong Kong in 1994. Andre Joubert, Henry Honiball and Joost van der Westhuizen were among the stars of that team and I felt proud to be considered good enough for the squad,’ says Plumtree.
‘I grew up a Kiwi kid with dreams of playing for the All Blacks against the Springboks and here I was wearing the Springbok jersey and I felt massive pride in playing for South Africa. They were New Zealand’s traditional foe and they were the team that commanded the most respect among the older folk.
‘The greatest challenge for an All Blacks player was to beat the Springboks in South Africa and I grew up with a sense of wonder and awe at the men in green and gold. They had a mystique for me. As a young rugby player I always wanted to play in South Africa; I got the chance in 1988 and ended up staying for nearly 10 years before returning to the Sharks to coach in 2006.’
South Africa is home to Plumtree and has been for some time. Professionally, his coaching may still take him to Europe or New Zealand, but in an ideal world home is Durban, South Africa and work is in South Africa.
‘The country has given me a family, a home and a wonderful lifestyle. It has given me opportunity. South Africa has been very good to me and I’d like to think I’ve embraced the country and given as much as I can to it. I’ve been in South Africa for the best part of 20 years and love being here,’ says Plumtree.
‘My coaching took me to Wales, where you could say I did my apprenticeship with Swansea as a young coach and furthered that with four years as Wellington coach in New Zealand. But for the rest it’s all been here in Durban, as a player and as a coach. I’ve never felt I had to choose between New Zealand and South Africa; if anything I consider myself fortunate to have experience of both because of the strong rugby connection. I have enormous respect for the rugby in New Zealand and an equal feeling for the game in this country.’
Plumtree has worked with some of New Zealand’s and South Africa’s best players and says the similarities make the rivalry so intense.
‘Both have an appetite for physicality and for playing a direct game. Both want to be the best in the world and have the work ethic that goes with it. If there was a difference I’d say there’s more pressure in South Africa at schoolboy level to win because of the rivalry between the major rugby playing schools, whereas in New Zealand there is a greater focus at schoolboy level on playing good rugby. The pressure here would be to win at all costs; there the pressure would be in the skills evolution of a player at schools level.
‘Professionally, though, there isn’t much to choose and that is why there seldom is much in matches at Super Rugby and Test levels. There has been the odd blowout from the Boks and from a South African and Kiwi Super Rugby side, but generally, as a Kiwi side, you have to play bloody well to win in this country, and the same is true of any South African team wanting to win in New Zealand.’
Plumtree played 80 matches for the Sharks between 1988 and 1997, having played 40 provincial games in New Zealand prior to that, which culminated in selection for All Blacks trials in 1989. His best rugby memories are playing for the Sharks and winning two Currie Cup medals and he takes pride in the achievement of winning the Currie Cup as a player and as a coach.
‘I was part of the 1996 squad as a player and in my first season as head coach in 2008 we won the cup again for the first time since 1996. To say I have won the Currie Cup as a player and a coach is a big thing for me because it also shows just how long I have been here and it is a competition that means a hell of a lot to me. I understand the history of the competition and I know what it meant to win it as a player at the Sharks. So I will never treat it as secondary.
‘There’s Super Rugby, which we want to win and there’s the Currie Cup, which we want to win. Both have equal status. One is the premier international tournament we play in and the other is the premier domestic competition. We had a chance to complete a rare double in 2012 in winning both and fell at the last hurdle. It hurts because we got so close to something really special, but the motivation has to be that it is possible to succeed in both tournaments and the group of players this year is more experienced, more mature and equipped to certainly be successful.’
The defeat in the Currie Cup final against Western Province rankles Plumtree more than the away defeat against the Chiefs in Super Rugby because it was a final he believed his team was good enough to win.
‘It is the one area we simply have to correct as a squad. When we are looking down the barrel we somehow find an escape and a way to win but when the hard work has been done and the expectation is there that we should win we have stumbled. Western Province played very well to win the final but home finals are occasions you have to make count. We had done all the hard work, benefited from consistency in getting a home semi-final and final and then to stumble … well you pick an adjective …’
Consistency is something Plumtree feels the Sharks have lacked in Super Rugby and to win the tournament he believes a team has to start well and end well.
‘The Crusaders and Bulls in their best years showed this consistency. They won enough to get the home semi and home final and while it is a huge advantage playing at home in the final it is also reward for a consistent season,’ says Plumtree. ‘I know we were up against it last year in having to travel to Australia, back to South Africa and then to Hamilton in New Zealand in 10 days but had we started the tournament better, it would have been another team doing the travelling to Durban.
‘It is the nature of the competition and it’s a competition I love being a part of. It tests everything about you as a player and as a coach. It tests the depth of your squad, the mental resolve and it also tests the ability of the coaching staff to manage the playing demands of the squad. I personally love the tournament and I enjoyed the expanded version in 2012.’
Plumtree favours the June break when internationals are played and says a tournament as long as Super Rugby needs a break.
‘I guess the key is not to have too many international players away on Test duty because we saw how a team like the Crusaders struggled post the June internationals. They were just hitting a peak before the All Blacks’ three Tests against the Irish and their players, who were superb at times against Ireland, just never hit the same heights in the remainder of the tournament.
‘The Sharks, by contrast, benefited from the break. We had a chance to reassess, get our injured players back on the park and we also had the benefit of a bye in the first week after the break. I found our players were refreshed and our Springboks gained a lot from that one-week bye. We went on a roll, so it works both ways. As a coaching team we learned a lot from last year, in terms of managing the squad and maximising game time for the entire squad.’
Plumtree, six days after the Sharks’ Super Rugby final defeat in Hamilton, started the Currie Cup campaign against Western Province in Cape Town, and he made 14 changes to the side beaten by the Chiefs.
‘The travel and playing demands forced those changes and we won in Cape Town, which shows you what is possible. I think having so many players away on international duty has allowed us to develop talent at Currie Cup level, which may not have been the case if all our players were available every weekend. It is why the Currie Cup for me will always have prestige, as a tournament, and as a showcase of the next generation of star players in South Africa.’
Plumtree has an expectation of his squad, but won’t differentiate between the need to win and develop quality players and improve the quality of those already in the system.
‘It can’t be one at the expense of the other. The nature of the sport is you have to win but you can develop and win at the same time if your identification is right. I have been so impressed with what Gary Kirsten has done with the Proteas. He has taken risks, always spoken of a bigger picture, be it an ODI World Cup, a T20 series or a Test series. You know what he wants to achieve and he hasn’t been afraid to introduce youngsters at the same time.
‘He has a clear plan, which has been well communicated, but he has also been very clear about the priority in results, which was to win the Test series in England and Australia … which they did. In the interim he has introduced a virtually new T20 side and made many adjustments to the ODI side. I think South African rugby, at national and provincial and regional levels, can learn a lot from what Gary has done with the Proteas cricket side.’
Plumtree, this season, wants a closer working relationship with the national coaches and with whoever can add to the success of the Sharks.
‘I don’t think we share enough in South Africa. I think we can learn from each other, at franchise level, and at national level and we definitely can learn from other codes,’ says Plumtree. ‘A lot of rugby people look to New Zealand but the system is completely different, especially the way in which the NZRU contracts the Super Rugby players and the working relationship that exists between the national coaches and the franchise coaches. You could only take from New Zealand if Saru was contracting the players. They aren’t.
‘There’s a lot right with rugby in South Africa and we have the luxury of so much natural talent. I’d say we need to invest more in the intellectual capital that there is on a coaching front in this country, encourage our players to have a go and take risks without fear of being dropped. We certainly also need to talk more, among ourselves in rugby and to those in other codes, to make South African rugby an entity that can consistently be as strong as New Zealand, and hopefully even stronger.’
– This article first appeared in Business Day Sport Monthly, which is distributed FREE with Business Day newspaper on the second Friday of each month.
720 Comments
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22 Jan 2013, 22:15 pm
Kepler is still hoping for a twist in the tail.
Grasping at straws?
22 Jan 2013, 22:16 pm
@RL-650: Now,that is a bit harsh!As soon as Smith got run out the innings went downhill .
22 Jan 2013, 22:20 pm
I absolutely agree,Kepler. Laughing while the fcking Titanic is sinking is just not what you want to see.
22 Jan 2013, 22:21 pm
Morne Morkel needs to see the replay of that again – in fact again and again. Another who seems to fall asleep on the job.
22 Jan 2013, 22:22 pm
@RL-650:
Hmmm we have a really bad test team but a lot better one day team…always been like that.
We have had a bad run off late but i will never say we will lose a one day before it ends. Our two best batters are still in NZ.
22 Jan 2013, 22:26 pm
Maybe they must get Kepler and Ray Jennings back into the one day coaching set-up to bring end to the laissez faire attitude that seems to have developed lately.
22 Jan 2013, 22:26 pm
What an apt moment to make my 2013 appearance as that constant thorn in the side of the ‘aparthaters’
The supposed number 1 ranked team in ODI about to lose their 2nd consecutive ODI to the lowly Black Caps and lose the series and drop to rank 3 in the process.
Not only is that all extremely deserving but shocking but this will also be a historic, first ever series win of any sort against S.A. in South Africa by the B.Caps.
Now chew on that all you ‘apartheiders’ and you who so arrogantly wrote off and dismissed the B.Caps as not worthy opponents..
22 Jan 2013, 22:26 pm
Congrats Black Caps!
22 Jan 2013, 22:27 pm
Well done New Zealand.
22 Jan 2013, 22:27 pm
Well done New Zealand.
Great comeback and well deserved.
22 Jan 2013, 22:28 pm
@Mostofyou-657: Welcome back.
22 Jan 2013, 22:29 pm
167 for 2 but then 252 for 10 glorious wickets.
22 Jan 2013, 22:31 pm
What a sick joke
22 Jan 2013, 22:31 pm
@Mostofyou-657:
Just shows how much Jacques Kallis – the best cricketer to have graced this earth – was missed. That to me says a lot.
Don’t bother replying. I couldn’t give a continental what you have to say.
22 Jan 2013, 22:33 pm
Bloody disgrace!They should hang their heads in shame.
22 Jan 2013, 22:34 pm
I think we should just cancel the test matches as they are just not us and concentrate of T20 and one dayers….. that’s where the trophies are as well
22 Jan 2013, 22:34 pm
The rhythm is going to get you.
The fast and spin rhythm of the Pakistanis.
22 Jan 2013, 22:34 pm
@Hurricane-655: it’s a kak kiwi team – only 3 times in history have teams left our shores with series wins, they were good teams from convict land and Pom land. Before this month the kiwis only managed a single win here in a series. All teams get smashed and leave broken and moered.
Some will say that there was no AB, no Kallis, no Amla, no JP Duminy, no Steyn, no Botha, no Philander, whoever … but that is no excuse – there is huge depth – there was just no guts from these cowards.
22 Jan 2013, 22:38 pm
congratulations… and celebrations…
to New Zealand cricket and their fans…
fully deserved series win over an arrogant and over-confident South African team… once again a South African team does well (in he tests) and thinks they just need to walk onto the pitch to win.., no commitment or sustained effort required…
i said before that we need to go with out strongest team against these guys… but we decided to save our best for the Pakistanis… and have now NZ have Flecked us over the line while we were show-boating and celebrating premsturely and have been deservedly humbled by the Black Caps..
22 Jan 2013, 22:38 pm
If the Proteas depend on one player they might as well give up playing one-day cricket!! Injuries and selection issues probably contributed to this sorry state of affairs ,but to bank on one player is just plain dumb and reveals a lack of cricket knowledge .
22 Jan 2013, 22:38 pm
664:
The Kiwis do not select the Proteas team.
:smile: 
:mr green:
Stop bitching and crying like a ‘sissie’. Take you consecutive ‘pak’ like a man which you really are not
22 Jan 2013, 22:40 pm
@RL-668:
This Nz team are no world beaters….yet they have shown pride and guts….I suppose thats all we Kiwis can ask for…Good win
22 Jan 2013, 22:40 pm
Hey ET. Here’s a joke for you. See if you get it.
Julius Malema is going to court to ban the word “blacklisted”.
The judge said to him please state your case.
He said, “This racist word is demoralising for the blacks of this country!
Why put people on a list just because they’re black, why not put whites on a list also?”.
The judge answered him. ” They are on a list, they are called “Tax payers”!
22 Jan 2013, 22:44 pm
@Mostofyou-671:
Check #659 you dom drol. Concentrate.
I’m out. Bye-bye.
22 Jan 2013, 22:45 pm
@RL-668:
Ok i understand but i have said that we will do better in the one day game as that is our game we play better. Never been a great test team, just been a good one day team. Never been gret cricket country but as you will know we can come up with the goods like when we knocked you guys out of the last one say world cup……we were also called a kak team by you guys even then.
You can really see the resemblance of the bok team against the ozzies, you guys think Ozzies area kak team even after the beat you guys 7 out of 9 times….
22 Jan 2013, 22:46 pm
Well clearly in many ways the joke is you
22 Jan 2013, 22:47 pm
This is not just a crushing defeat to their moral ,but a massive drop in the rankings as well.Probably down to six now.
22 Jan 2013, 22:48 pm
@I am a stormer-674:
Run puppy run fast.
Is your tail long enough to fit between your cowardly, but fast-moving legs of fear?
22 Jan 2013, 22:50 pm
@Te Rangatira-672: If you play together as a team then everything is possible.
22 Jan 2013, 22:54 pm
Absolutely disastrous captaincy over the first two games as well.
22 Jan 2013, 22:59 pm
@wnbb-679:
Yes…since we lack the world class individuals, the only way Nz can be successful is to guts it out together…a very satisfying win against a powerhouse.
22 Jan 2013, 23:02 pm
Ranga@672
indeed… your guys showed guts and dfully deserve the glory…
very well done to them
22 Jan 2013, 23:03 pm
@Hurricane-675: the aussies are decent in rugby no comparison – more like the cricket kiwi team just does not tour SA and beat the Proteas in an ODI series – ever – what happened here today is like Wales touring NZ and winning a series.
Depressing sh-it …will have to take it out on the ****’s’
22 Jan 2013, 23:05 pm
@RL-683:
ok get your point.
22 Jan 2013, 23:20 pm
and before anyone calls me fickle…
when we discussed this before the series started i said then we should not take the BCs lightly and put out strongest possible team on the field for them… because it would be better to take on Pakistan with a solid series win under the belt and looking invulnerable than to have a fresher team taking on the Pakistani’s coming off a series loss to NZ showing Pakistan that we are all too vulnerable… It would’ve been better to take on Pakistan as the battle-worn number one ranked team than a well-rested lower ranked team…
when will we learn in rugby cricket and football that we should focus on and take every game seriously… and send out our best possible team every time… no matter who the opposition is..
until we do that consistently we will not dominate the world rankings consistently…
22 Jan 2013, 23:32 pm
@ufo-685: I rarely agrees with you ,but you are absolutely spot on. I really don’t like this rotation policy.Just look at the Aussies.Same results.
22 Jan 2013, 23:38 pm
@wnbb-686: Hopefully that will be a once off.
23 Jan 2013, 01:29 am
F’ng Skittle sticks you can’t be f’ng serious getting your frilly lace panties all twisted in a f’ng knot over that load of codswallop cockamamIe balderdash
23 Jan 2013, 03:03 am
Hubris. Such a swine.
23 Jan 2013, 04:05 am
@skopdiekan-688:
Yeah Ubu… your short little legs have never run 200 odd 50m spurts at top pace totalling 10kms every day for 5 days, faced 140km bouncing bricks aimed at your legs, mid-riff and head for hrs/days on end, nor kept your concentration in the field catching/stopping flying bricks for days on end… and all this in blistering conditions…
Pull the other one old toothless Chihuahua… now run along…
23 Jan 2013, 05:41 am
@Mostofyou-678:
Despicable.
23 Jan 2013, 05:42 am
@TheTackler-689:
You only show your face when NZ wins.
Why is that?
23 Jan 2013, 05:59 am
Which one is this now?
The ping pong ace or the badminton ace?
23 Jan 2013, 06:15 am
this is the one in the middle, sybil…
23 Jan 2013, 06:16 am
@I am a stormer-692:
Because he is a wannabe……….
But will never be……….
23 Jan 2013, 06:38 am
Same old same old Saffa traits….simply cannot perform when we favorites…
as good as we were in the Tests as poor as this bunch of chokers are in the 1 day format.
Gary Kirsten needs to toughen this lot up……what a huge dissapointment and the record books will show we were bloody shamed on our own turf….
Well done Kiwis.
23 Jan 2013, 06:51 am
Well done Black Caps. A couple of gutsy performances – what top sport is all about.
23 Jan 2013, 07:08 am
@RL-668:
well put.
disgraceful performance.
23 Jan 2013, 07:22 am
A good win for the Black Hats, nothing has changed though they are still shitehouse.
23 Jan 2013, 07:35 am
Jeepers I read some shocking stories about the air pollution in China.
Surely it cant be good for the people?
Does this mean the sun rises effectively at 9am?
Very sad.
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