Plumtree laments Sharks’ lack of fight After URC loss to Ulster in Durban

Sharks coach John Plumtree admits his side "didn’t turn up physically" as their poor URC start continued with a 34-26 home defeat, despite fielding 13 Springboks

Sharks head coach John Plumtree cut a frustrated figure after his side slumped to a 34-26 loss against Ulster in Durban on Saturday - their fourth consecutive defeat in the United Rugby Championship.

“Just disappointing,” Plumtree admitted post-match. “We expected so much more. It’s hard to get my head around right now. We were flat at the start of the game.”

Despite boasting 13 Springboks in the starting XV, the Sharks failed to impose themselves early and allowed Ulster to build a commanding 20-5 lead by halftime. While the hosts had a dominant scrum and several chances to apply pressure, they struggled to convert those opportunities into points.

“We had plenty of opportunities through scrum penalties to get into their 22 and build some scoreboard pressure, but we just didn’t turn up physically,” said Plumtree. “They were really good and clinical, and put pressure on early with a couple of great tries.”

The Sharks showed some fight either side of halftime, narrowing the gap and looking poised for a comeback. But two pivotal moments - a yellow card for Vincent Koch and a yellow-turned-red for Makazole Mapimpi - swung momentum decisively back to the visitors.

“After halftime we looked good, scored, and I thought, ‘okay, we’re coming back’... then bang. Yellow to Vincent, then the red card to Mapimpi really killed us,” Plumtree reflected. “A comeback was always going to be difficult after that.”

The coach acknowledged the difficult reintegration of national players may have unsettled the side’s rhythm but refused to lean on it as an excuse.

“Definitely it affected the balance, but we can’t go into that space,” he said. “We’ve got to be harder on ourselves. That includes the players, coaches - everyone. We’ve all got to take a look in the mirror and come with a different mindset.”

With four straight losses and the pressure mounting, Plumtree knows time is running out to turn things around.

“To lose four in a row, and one at home, is not a great start,” he concluded. “But we have the quality -  now we need the response.