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Collective to prevail in unforgiving world

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:55

Making a point: Sharks captain John Smit in heated discussion

The Super 14 is one the most unforgiving arenas in the rugby world and the Sharks have been on the receiving end of some very close calls this season.

However, coach John Plumtree is adamant that his team will win the battle and end their losing streak, as a collective unit and not as individuals.

Speaking to rugby365.com from the team's training base in New Zealand, ahead of their Round Six encounter with the Highlanders in Dunedin on Saturday, Plumtree said they are a long way away from throwing in the towel.

However, he admitted that in a game of inches and moments, the Sharks have been just short on too many occasions.

Now they have two more chances to salvage not only their Australasian tour, but season - against the Highlanders this week and the Hurricanes the next.

"We're just a couple of points away from a win, but we still have some areas we need to work on," Plumtree told rugby365.com.

"We have to get more things right to get the result," the Sharks mentor said, adding many of the things they need to work on revolves around the basics of the game - such as controlling the ball under pressure and not turning it over.

Plumtree was adamant that the team as a collective, and not the individuals, are accountable for their poor start to the season - defeats to the Chiefs (18-19), Cheetahs (20-25), Crusaders (6-35), Waratahs (21-25) and Brumbies (22-24).

"It is not about the individuals, it is more about the team," he said, adding: "There are individuals who are making mistakes.

"However, we have to sort it out as a group and put pressure on ourselves to get it right."

The other key aspect is that a couple of defeats will put a big dent in any team's confidence and the Sharks are certainly in short supply of confidence at the moment.

"We have talked long and hard about that, to make sure that we keep playing and everyone works hard.

"We know we can win, because we have lost four of our five games by five points or less. But we need to convert these close defeats into close wins."

Plumtree said there are so many things that can turn a game - one pass, one penalty conceded, one line-out or one poor scrum.

"This game is all about inches and moments, pressure and various aspects," he told rugby365.com.

"This [the Super 14] is a very unforgiving competition and we haven't had it very easy.

"Our draw was always going to be tough, but we could have had four wins - we just weren't good enough to win those crunch games.

"We have two more opportunities on tour, here in New Zealand, and it is up to everyone to work hard to play some winning football."

While their opponents in the next two rounds, the Highlanders and Hurricanes, are coming back from tough tours to South Africa, and a couple of heavy defeats, Plumtree feels the Sharks are still in a more dire situation.

The Highlanders have one win to their credit and the Hurricanes won their first three.

"No doubt they will be pretty hungry," he said of the Highlanders and Hurricanes' recent defeats in SA, "But I'm sure they can't be as hungry as us."

"It is not an easy place to be, we are used to doing well in this competition and right now we are not doing well, so it makes it tough.

"Each week is an opportunity and we are not that far away from that win. However, it is not going to happen by itself, we have to get better."

Plumtree said the Sharks are "pretty banged up" after their loss in Canberra at the weekend, but prop Deon Carstens is the only real concern. He suffered a knee injury.

All the centres in the Sharks team are carrying knocks, but they should be right by Thursday and ready to play on Saturday.

By Jan de Koning

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