Players must own the gameplan

John Plumtree has explained that the Sharks senior players will be allowed a greater say in the team’s gameplan, but there will be greater accountability for their performances.

A difficult season has seen the Sharks rooted to the bottom of the Vodacom URC table after one win in 10 games.

During a media session in Durban, Plumtree explained that one of the greatest challenges he faced when returning to the Sharks as head coach, was how the gameplan was driven down to the players by the coaches.

“In New Zealand and England, much greater responsibility is given to the players,” Plumtree was quoted by Sunday newspaper Rapport.

“The coaches facilitate and the senior players drive the game. Maybe that balance wasn’t quite right here. The coaches did too much, with the result that the players can’t be held accountable. It amounts to: ‘It’s your plan, and not ours.’ 

“We are trying to find a better balance in our game between fearless attack and sometimes kicking more,” Plumtree added. “However, we need to get better at what we do.

“I was surprised in July at how poor our skills were. You can see now, if you do the same session, how the skills have improved.

“We’re getting better every week. Other coaches notice it and our players start to enjoy it.

“The problem is that we are not yet perfect with the execution of our plans.

“We still have certain challenges with our set pieces. When we get that fixed, we can beat anyone with our attacking game. That’s what we’re working towards.”

The Sharks will have the opportunity to climb the table when they travel to Johannesburg to face the Lions on Saturday, 2 March.

Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images