URC: John Plumtree says Hollywoodbets Sharks’ Springboks are a big boost

Successive home wins over the Glasgow Warriors and Munster mean the Sharks currently lie ninth on the overall United Rugby Championship (URC) log standings heading into the November international break.

While the franchise has come under fire by those who have criticised the culture of lavish spending in Durban, the Kiwi boss has provided a reality check, emphasising that, in a professional environment, that’s the smartest way to compete for championships.

READ: How tough will the Boks have it in Europe?

Plumtree also described how having so many active Springbok players in his squad brings its own unique set of challenges.

“The reality is, full-strength, we are a very strong side. And that’s what you need to do well in this competition. Leinster have had their strongest team out for how many weeks? We haven’t. So I think everyone needs to cut us a little bit of slack,” Plumtree said.

“[The Springboks] have now got a northern tour, and they’ll come back, and we’ve got a tough game against the Stormers at home when they’re coming off a Springbok run of three Test matches.

“So the challenges just keep coming. Then we’ve got Springboks resting [protocols] as well, so there’s a lot to deal with in this club.

“Yes I want to win all the time, but the reality is that we’re not going to have a full-strength Sharks side all the time and we can win without the Boks. But it’s hard to win without all of them.”