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, 14:05 pm
@Heavens Game-298:
Noooooooooooooo.
You lie.
22 Jan 2013, 14:05 pm
@Heavens Game-298: Here comes the Boom.
22 Jan 2013, 14:06 pm
the Curse
has it been 12 wins in 19 years?
good to know
who’s counting
just looking out for some good ‘honest’ rugby
(referees excluded)
you dont ‘smurf’ nobody’s ‘bors’… ok…
22 Jan 2013, 14:06 pm
Hashim Amla out injured. Fark
22 Jan 2013, 14:07 pm
Welcome back Poppa.
Just won the toss and fielding first.
22 Jan 2013, 14:08 pm
UFO
8 weeks I was in it for. slowly coming right. have to keep on top of exercises etc. back to specialist in April for final checks etc.
looking forward to the super season. saffa teams looking very dangerous, and am starting to believe Bakkies about conspiracies
I too wish I could gift points to my countries teams
lol
pedigree lady. and to you and yours lovely. always a pleasure
22 Jan 2013, 14:08 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-302:
Waaroor gaan hierdie movie?
22 Jan 2013, 14:08 pm
@Gumboots-304:
howzit bill…
damn…!!
what happened…?
22 Jan 2013, 14:08 pm
How do players get injured in warm-ups. JP and now Hashim
22 Jan 2013, 14:09 pm
Howzit UFO. Injured his leg during warm-up
22 Jan 2013, 14:10 pm
@Gumboots-309:
As Bakkies would say …………….
“He probably tripped over his weird looking beard”
22 Jan 2013, 14:10 pm
22 Jan 2013, 14:10 pm
Dave is at least playing now.
22 Jan 2013, 14:11 pm
Hi Dawn
yes probably
22 Jan 2013, 14:12 pm
De Kock will open
22 Jan 2013, 14:12 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-293:
Ni shuo shen me?
22 Jan 2013, 14:15 pm
@the curse-306:
yeah… guess the muscles get pretty weak in that time… keep the exercise up and all will be good in april…
yeah… feels somehow this super season is gonna be a very exciting, competitive and tight one…
i’m chuffed schalk is back… will be interesting to see how he picks up his game after 14 months (bar 14 minutes) without game… and how allister’s is going to use him…
also keen to see what jk and ted do with the blues… i’m quite positive about them…
but for sure… gonna be very interesting…
22 Jan 2013, 14:16 pm
@Gumboots-310:
as you ask… how the heck does it happen…?
happens more than is healthy in rugby too…
22 Jan 2013, 14:16 pm
@NZINCHINA-316:
i said; ‘you suddenly have a big mouth, China’
you should; ‘keep it together’
22 Jan 2013, 14:17 pm
UFO you got mail
22 Jan 2013, 14:18 pm
switching off. enjoy the cricket. cheers
22 Jan 2013, 14:18 pm
@Dawn-311:
i would never say that, Dawn.
22 Jan 2013, 14:18 pm
when you get time popps…
go and check the hore thread… some good stuff and photos of sa playing nz during ww2…
22 Jan 2013, 14:19 pm
@Dawn-301: @The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-302: Yes… it is true.
BOOM!
22 Jan 2013, 14:19 pm
@Dawn-307: “A high school biology teacher looks to become a successful mixed-martial arts fighter in an effort to raise money to prevent extra-curricular activities from being axed at his cash-strapped school.”
That moron Kevin James stars in it.
I find this seriously amusing to be honest…..
22 Jan 2013, 14:21 pm
Gumboots
hoe gaan dit boet?
trust you are well my friend
I’ve always thought saffa ladies were very fine, smart too. it’s why they marry kiwis and Aussies
they know the truth
hahahaha
UFO
sadly, I don’t think Schalk will be the same, was already turning his back in contact and think he will only exacerbate this. sad to see such a warrior not the same. just a feeling
gots to love the new season
blues are farked. can’t see us doing to well, even with the headmaster pulling the strings. but a no worries season so anything is a bonus.
22 Jan 2013, 14:22 pm
@Heavens Game-298: ” You do realise that
the Boks have never won a World Cup
without a Flyhalf from Maritzburg College…?”
in a country where the 9 makes all the decisions, you do realise that the Boks have won both world cups with Bulls scrumhalfs who are mentioned amongst the BEST players in the game while both mediocre 10s don’t even get a mention among the best 10s
mere passengers, every saffa knows the flyhalf is there to skop
22 Jan 2013, 14:23 pm
Amla out. Quad injury during training yesterday. Rest up big guy, we need you for the Pakis.
Dekock opening. Behardien coming in at 5 and Miller at 7.
Finally have a big hitter coming in slightly down the order again. Something we’ve been missing in the ODI side.
22 Jan 2013, 14:23 pm
@keo-4: I dont think any Muppet (or very few) would dispute that he is a fantastic bloke and a great coach. The Sharks play the way many of us wish the Boks would play! (and I am WP).
But people will question his true loyalty when it comes to Test rugby. The SA/NZ rivalry is too old and intense to be taken lightly.
I could live in NZ (or any other country) for 50 years and NEVER would stop supporting the Boks. I think many Bok supporters feel the same, this is why we are skeptical about the wording of this article.
It is inferred that he supports SA, but he has not clearly said it himself. If he has aspirations of Bok coach, then he needs to say it out loud.
He bemoans “‘I don’t think we share enough in South Africa. I think we can learn from each other…” – something we all know (Jake and PDiv mentioned it too in their books). Yet Plumtree has often been the coach obstructing the requests of the national coach WRT Smit, Frans Steyn and Lambie.
In NZ he would have to listen to NZRU and the national coach, no? So, if he wants SA to match and better NZ, why doesnt he do the same over here?
22 Jan 2013, 14:25 pm
@The Rangerman-242: why so hostile – PMS Rangergirl?
22 Jan 2013, 14:26 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-10: In many ways I WOULD support him for Bok coach, as he would probably be less emotional and more methodical about the job than a lifelong fanatical South African
For example, seeing Heyneke on the edge of tears at every Test is awesome in many ways, but we all know the Boks often rely on emotion too much as it is.
A coach who can stand back from all the politics, history and emotion might be a good thing. BUT (and its a BIG “but”) he would need to actually support SA and want the Boks to win above all other teams.
Finish en klaar
22 Jan 2013, 14:27 pm
@Gumboots-320:
thanks…
and you…
22 Jan 2013, 14:27 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-319:
Only the facts Houston.
22 Jan 2013, 14:27 pm
@Dawn: Bakkie’s doesn’t middle east muslims plus he wants to see broad’s face when he talks to her, she can put on Fendi sunglasses but no burka..
22 Jan 2013, 14:29 pm
@the curse-326:
yeah… we’ll have to see how he goes and how things turn out…
22 Jan 2013, 14:30 pm
@John Galt-328: you were screaming for Albie last year
22 Jan 2013, 14:32 pm
@Transformation-327: Funny that no other 10 from anywhere else could do it, no matter how good the SH… Not to mention the fact that THAT drop was made by a 10, not the 9.
A Sharkie at 10 = World Champions… Simple.
Duh… Dumbfuck.
22 Jan 2013, 14:33 pm
@ufo-335: I fear he may become another Ali Williams… never the same after the injury, much harder as the body ages..
I think I could watch cricket at this stadium
“de beers”
thats me
22 Jan 2013, 14:36 pm
interesting article keo
Plum is a spy, an agent planted to bring false hope to the many saffa_ring fans..
the shorks will stutter until half way through again, watch for the strange selections
to be fair to plum though, his farm backs onto Brycies, so he has to behave in the manner that is expected
22 Jan 2013, 14:37 pm
@the curse-338:
yeah… he came back from the broken neck okay… but guess the back-turning is a way of favouring it… but he’s a tough and determined guy so reckon he’ll give it a full go… time will tell…
rather watch it on tv and get de beers form the fridge…!!
22 Jan 2013, 14:39 pm
@Transformation-336:
Ya I know.
Notice I say ‘Finally have a big hitter coming in slightly down the order again. Something we’ve been missing in the ODI side’ Right now Miller is the best around in that role.
22 Jan 2013, 14:40 pm
@bokfan1-329:
i couldn’t have said it any better.
seriously…
@bokfan1-331:
well then he would need to say it, and make sure he says it very loudly.
the role means a helluva lot to a helluva lot of people and without the desire and emotional sensitivity shown he’ll already have lost the (already) little bit of fickle support he’d start off with.
being a methodical cyborg 9000 during games is one thing, if he got the job, but his approach in the ‘pre-appointment’ phase would absolutely require it.
we are not the Wallabies… or the All Blacks…
22 Jan 2013, 14:41 pm
@ufo-340: mucho respect for the man, has thrown his body without preservation into the cause time and again..
cant fault that in any player..
22 Jan 2013, 14:41 pm
The resident verbal masturbator is back in session I see.
Tell us again how you have blead on the battlefield of rugby, brothers in arms etc.
That brought a tear to my eye.
22 Jan 2013, 14:42 pm
@Heavens Game-337: calm down
joost & fdp were the brains the 10s were mules…
butch didn’t even command the kicking duties as percy & frans won us the game from the tees. .
22 Jan 2013, 14:42 pm
It doesn’t matter if Plum supports the Boks or the ABs.
My guess is that he will support the ABs, and rightly so.
If he were to become the Bok coach, things will of course be different on a professional level. Just like Gary during this time with India. Or, indeed, the majority of international sports coaches.
22 Jan 2013, 14:42 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-342: true, 61 percent and declining since readmission proves your point about not being Aussie or NZ
we have standards
22 Jan 2013, 14:43 pm
true popps…
22 Jan 2013, 14:46 pm
@Transformation-345: Yes… But Butch was the 10… And with Butch – a Maritzburg College Boy, a Shark – at 10, the Boks became World Champs…
Like Joel at 10 too…
Now stop chasing your tail, sonny…
22 Jan 2013, 14:48 pm
@willievz-346:
hey willie…
how you been bud…?
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