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, 09:27 am
@Te Rangatira-86: he and Mitch from that little village. They were neigbours and mates. Ever heard of the Hawera cup?
22 Jan 2013, 09:29 am
@Heavens Game-66:
Spot on HG.
You have people not liking plum cos of not playing a certain player in a match…..lol, fuckme their are some dimwits on here
22 Jan 2013, 09:31 am
@grant10-84:
well he did, so there.
still dont think your approval is enough to get him the job, Grant
@Te Rangatira-86:
and there you have it, from the horses mouth.
thanks fot the honesty, TR
22 Jan 2013, 09:32 am
@RL-73:
Yeah but not only drugs is rife in SA but as well as false birth certificates. You have 23 year olds posing at 20 year olds. If there was a lie detector, you would find you little bok team would also suffer
22 Jan 2013, 09:33 am
@John Galt-98:
bud…
i’m not attacking plum as a person or coach… although i can see it may look that way…
but when the subject of a foreign coach comes up many how many times don’t we hear people say… “it will never happen….”
our bok coaches get a rough enough ride in south africa due to provincial rivalries… just ask heyneke and pieter…
but now throw national rivalries into the mix and the coach is bound to get an even tougher ride…
if he makes a controversial decision and leaves out a player that has popular support in south africa… and the perception is we lost because of it…? how long will it be before rugby fans start suggesting he was trying to sabotage the boks…?
is it crazy to suggest…? heck people are suggesting that now about him already and he is ‘only’ the sharks coach… how much more intense will it be if he was the bok coach…?
everyone can have a go a me if they wish… but most will know i am correct on this… it is never that simple or clear in south african rugby…
and all i’m saying is if he wants the bok job… he should start schmoozing the general rugby public sooner rather than later…
22 Jan 2013, 09:33 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-74:
They’ve only tested the equivalent of three Rugby teams over six months and have positive results in the 28% range. Going on those results if they were to test 1000 players we’ll be looking at 280 positives…..
22 Jan 2013, 09:34 am
@Britney Spies-87:
How can a hard core kiwi not visit his country with his kids?
I am sure he has enough money. I dont care if he was born in Taranaki or Gore, any man getting a big wage can easily change his mind.
22 Jan 2013, 09:36 am
@Hurricane-107:
Huh
22 Jan 2013, 09:36 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-81:
Jeez’ point was that Matfield and Fleckie are unqualified and relatively inexperienced for their roles Bakkies.
Matfield as attacking coach?
Plum started as a player/assistant coach at Crusaders rugby club in Durban for 3 years before even starting his coaching career officially. And even then it was only ever a coaching role with the forwards.
22 Jan 2013, 09:36 am
@Transformation-88:
you and RL have a very good point…
22 Jan 2013, 09:37 am
@ufo-105:
Ok never mind.
You are one of those conspiracy okes. No use debating with you then.
22 Jan 2013, 09:39 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-74:
It seems 2011 RWC was the first time they did a full test.
Just read about it on the IRB website. Makes you wonder about RWC 2007 then really does it not?
22 Jan 2013, 09:39 am
@John Galt-111:
Is jy ‘n Shark ondersteuner?
Baie sensitief ne.
22 Jan 2013, 09:40 am
@Transformation-88:
Now that, for the Bok job, I do agree with. Strangely enough.
22 Jan 2013, 09:41 am
@Heavens Game-92:
so why cant he just say it, HG?
whats the big deal about saying he is a dedicated springbok supporter, above all else?
we are small minded people for the most part and if thats what it takes to win over the nations trust ans support then why not do it?
didn’t they make Obama do the same in politics? i may be wrong but i think Deans did something similar?
@Hurricane-96:
if you keep repeating the lie to yourself you will eventually believe it.
whatever helps you sleep at night, boet.
@Britney Spies-97:
hehehe
22 Jan 2013, 09:43 am
@John Galt-109:
Very good point.
He does not have to justify his coaching credentials, he has earned them.
We always hear, even from our own supporters, how dour the Boks play, but when someone dare mention that a proven coach who has Kiwi heritage might change that, then it’s not acceptable.
If we can’t be honest and accept that the most of the best coaches are NZ born then we can’t see the wood from the trees.
If a Kiwi coach can turn the fortunes of the Boks around and make them more competitive against the AB’s I’m all for it.
22 Jan 2013, 09:44 am
@Hurricane-104: don’t get me started on those men from the EC pretending to be boys.
22 Jan 2013, 09:44 am
@keo-3:
lol
OH that question of UFOs is about as important as the one i want you too ask him.
What burgers does he prefer at Mcdonalds?
22 Jan 2013, 09:45 am
@RL-117:
hehe
Ok i am sorry.
22 Jan 2013, 09:45 am
@gunther-99:
yes, yes i think they have.
@nortierd-100:
“don’t have to prove their credentials.”..?..
i dont know where to begin.
its academic though because i’m pretty sure it will never, ever happen.
like a lot of the things Keo says
22 Jan 2013, 09:46 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-115:
So if he just says it, all will be fine? You’ll believe him?
Mmmmm, unlikely.
You say Deans said it? Do you think currently all Ausies believe him.
Thats the problem with lip service…thats all it is.
Actions, my dear Bakkies, thats where the truth is.
22 Jan 2013, 09:46 am
@John Galt-111:
that’s one thing i’m not… but many saffa rugby fans are…
i’m just asking people to recognise the reality of the south african rugby fan… (yes, a generalization… but am speaking in general)
we’ve seen it with heyneke’s appointment…
we’ve seen it with pieter’s appointment…
we’ve seen it with virtually every south african bok coach….
do you honestly believe fans would not get on plum’s case for being a kiwi…? espcially if one or two controversial selections affect game results…
okay…
22 Jan 2013, 09:47 am
@RL-101:
Hi RL…..the only Hawera Cup I know of is the Horse race. Hawera is the birthplace of my ancestor from where my Family name originates. All my mates from the Naki are staunch Nzers and find it hard to leave that place.
22 Jan 2013, 09:48 am
@Te Rangatira-106:
how many have the Kiwis tested in comparison?
22 Jan 2013, 09:49 am
@nortierd-116:
As usual common sense from yourself
22 Jan 2013, 09:49 am
@gunther-99: yeah lightweight, no-name brands like stuart baxter joel santana.
22 Jan 2013, 09:50 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-115: I dont see why thefuck he must explicitly state “I support the Boks when they play NZ”…
What if he says “May the best team win on the Day”…
Farken Idiocy…
The man has a Saffa wife, a Saffa son and has worn Green and Gold…
Yet he aint “pure” enough…
22 Jan 2013, 09:51 am
@Hurricane-102: Howzit Hurri… Not only dimwits but some very self inflated fuckwits too…
Farkem.
22 Jan 2013, 09:52 am
I think, if anything, Plum would be more motivated to beat the Hobbitses.
22 Jan 2013, 09:53 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-124:
Good question….perhaps you can tell me. I think Plum’s words in this article gives a good indication on the differences in attitudes at schoolboy level.
22 Jan 2013, 09:54 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-120:
C’mon Bakkies.
Just because the players under Mitchell were acting like a bunch of prima donnas last year and couldn’t understand that after losing pretty much every game the coach wasn’t in the mood for playing ring-a-ring a rosies with them, doesn’t make him a bad coach. The previous year he was the greatest thing since sliced bread for winning the CC.
This is a guy who had a winning percentage at the AB’s that every International coach will drool over and was the forward coach of the Pom’s who won a World Cup.
You give him and Plum the option to pick the best of SA and I’m sure they will do very well.
22 Jan 2013, 09:54 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-124:
In total 170 tests were carried out by Drug-Free Sport New Zealand (DFSNZ), who are responsible for anti-doping programmes and drug testing from provincial level upwards. The Rugby World Cup 2011 was not part of the testing programme with Rugby World Cup Limited responsible for testing during the tournament.
This was last year. Seems we doing a lot more than your 62 in 6 months
22 Jan 2013, 09:54 am
@Transformation-126:
Philippe Trousier
22 Jan 2013, 09:55 am
It’s pretty obvious the bloke has embraced the Republic as his adopted country. What he has done for The Sharks is the stuff of coaching legend.
Only Mac can boast a more rabid belief in this coastal franchise.
22 Jan 2013, 09:55 am
@RL-25: Yes, Plumtree this Oprah, Oprah, this John………….
22 Jan 2013, 09:57 am
@John Galt-109:
oh sorry John, so its different then..?..
my point exactly, you know i’m as right as you are.
we can both have YOUR cake OR eat it, you decide
22 Jan 2013, 09:57 am
The truth and reconditioning commission will have you out.
22 Jan 2013, 09:58 am
@nortierd-116:
there are numerous examples in sport of players becoming coaches without following traditional due process.
In football, immediate names that spring to mind.
Frans bekkenbauer.
Johann Cryuff
Pep Guadiola
Kenny Dalglish
etc.
Personally I am also for coaches following due process and apprenticeships.
In Matfields case and the Bulls, though I would argue that his well know analytical approach to decoding opposition stratagy as well as developing his own coupled with the fact that he has a particularly calm demenour and is the epitomy of bulls culture and work ethic…..makes his inclusion a no-brainer.
22 Jan 2013, 09:58 am
@nortierd-131: A Kenner….respect.
22 Jan 2013, 10:00 am
@Predawn-134:
lol
but at the beginning of last season all the sharkeys wanted him canned?
go figure.
beat WP up a couple times in the season and legendary status is acquired.
22 Jan 2013, 10:01 am
@Hurricane-112:
you are stretching, Hurri.
come on bud, you are better than that.
@RL-117:
bwahahahahaha
@John Galt-121:
fair enough John, but his actions in super rugby have been few and far between to tell you the truth.
just dont think he would take the boks to the next level, my opinion only of course.
22 Jan 2013, 10:01 am
@gunther-129:
Perhaps like Deans he will make it his life’s ambition. Would you prefer Plum over Meyer as coach of the Bok?
22 Jan 2013, 10:01 am
@Hurricane-132:
Your First World attitude in new Zealand makes the difference. Our lot would rather funnel their resources into taking the budget and spending it on themselves instead of doing what is morally right for the sport in this country.
It all starts at the top. If we had good honest professional people in the necessary departments to manage these resources, well…the rest is obvious.
22 Jan 2013, 10:02 am
@gunther-133:
ironically French Phil took Japan to the knockout stages of the worldcup.
something he couldn’t do when he was with boringbananabafana
22 Jan 2013, 10:03 am
some of these Sharks fans are so fickle!
every year they call for Plum to be fired – facebook pages et al – and punt everyone from Sean Everitt to John Mitchell to replace him but this morning he is a legend 
22 Jan 2013, 10:03 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl-140:
Yep..we are a fickle lot. I am guilty too.
22 Jan 2013, 10:03 am
@Heavens Game-127:
because we are small minded idiots
look, lets admit coaching the boks is a minefield
no matter who, no matter where.
22 Jan 2013, 10:04 am
@gunther-129:
ja, as motivated as Deans…
22 Jan 2013, 10:04 am
I still support Sean Everitt for assistant coach…100%
22 Jan 2013, 10:05 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl-138:
Brigadier
I have posted here on a previous thread that I also think Matfield’s choice was a good one for the Bulls.
Similar to Rassie who did analysis when still playing, and no one batted an eyelid when he took over the Cheetahs.
Matfield will be a huge asset to the Bulls, he understands their culture, the revere him and he has a rugby brain second to none.
If another franchise had appointed him, maybe he would have struggled initially , but he can walk into the Bull’s set up from day one knowing precisely what makes them tick.
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