Plumtree back to lead Sharks 10 years after acrimonious departure from Kings Park

Bongi Mbonambi of the Cell C Sharks during his team's United Rugby Championship match against Munster at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on 22 April, 2023 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images)

By Craig Ray

4 May 2023

The worst-kept secret in South African rugby became official on Thursday when the Sharks confirmed that former head coach John Plumtree had re-joined the union.

A decade after John Plumtree stomped out of Kings Park with threats of lawsuits after being unceremoniously dumped by the Sharks, he’s back for a second stint as head coach.

Plum, as he’s known in rugby circles, was formally unveiled as the franchise’s new head coach by Director of Rugby Neil Powell on Thursday. Dave Williams, who was the Sharks’ attack coach in 2018 and 2019, also returns as assistant. The pair will start on 1 July, with Plumtree commencing a three-year contract according to Sharks CEO Ed Coetzee.

Neil Powell (Director of Rugby) of the Cell C Sharks during the United Rugby Championship match between Cell C Sharks and Munster at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on April 22, 2023 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images)

It’s a homecoming of sorts for the New Zealand-born, but very much Durban-entrenched Plumtree.

He played for the Sharks in the late 1980s and into the 1990s and coached the team from 2008-2013 with decent success. Plumtree’s Sharks won the Currie Cup in 2008 for the first time in more than a decade. They won it again in 2010 and his team made the 2012 Super Rugby final.

He has since travelled widely, working in assistant coaching roles with Ireland under Joe Schmidt, Japan with Jamie Joseph and the All Blacks alongside Ian Foster. He has also been the head coach of the Hurricanes and North Island in that period.

That Plumtree has landed up back in Durban, where he met his wife and spent much of his adult life, is no surprise. The Sharks need an experienced mentor and Plumtree, now 10 years older and wiser, brings that to the star-studded, but under-performing union.

Acrimonious departure

Life doesn’t always offer second chances but in this instance, it’s a second chance for the Sharks to put things right with Plumtree, and for the coach to complete a job he felt wasn’t over.

In mid-2013, after a string of five consecutive losses and six defeats in seven games, including home setbacks against the Cheetahs and Bulls during a difficult Super Rugby campaign, things fell apart.

At the time, newly appointed, but wildly inexperienced Sharks CEO John Smit, was trying to establish himself as the boss. The early months of his tenure coincided with that sorry run of form, and in haste, Smit dismissed Plumtree.

There was a tense period where Smit and Plumtree were in a stand-off. Plumtree read about his imminent sacking in the press and was naturally unhappy.

Officially Plumtree was supposed to see out the season, but as a proud man, he was not going to be a dead man walking for the final month of the campaign. He walked out with three rounds to play, threatening legal action as he believed there was a verbal agreement about a two-year extension to his contract.

Eventually, Plumtree departed with a healthy severance package, as the coach had the makings of a strong case in the event of a labour dispute. The Sharks had no option but to offer a ‘golden handshake’. And that was that.

Unnecessary anger, recrimination and disappointment marked the end of the first Plumtree era.

“I would have saved everybody a lot of pain if I had told Plum that he would have another season as head coach while I found a successor because I felt that we needed to freshen up the coaching after Plum had been in charge for a long time,” Smit told The Mercury in an interview in 2016.

“Plum had asked for a one-year extension before I took charge and that might have helped had that been granted.

“Plum was incensed. I recall trying to talk to him after a Sharks training session towards the end of the 2013 Super Rugby season and he was so furious that he would not make eye contact with me as he stormed off, continued Smit.

“I understand why he was so angry. I would have liked to have spoken to him about a coaching succession plan, but we never got to have that conversation. It was a colossal stuff-up.”

Wheel turns

It’s all in the past now. Whether Smit and Plum have made up is unclear but what is clear is that Plumtree is up for the challenge of steering the Sharks in Europe.

“Durban has always been my home away from home for many years and I have the fondest memories of my time here both as a player and a coach,” Plumtree said. “ I look forward to returning to the Sharks set-up and working with a talented group of players.

“The Sharks are a proud global brand and naturally everyone associated with the brand wants results. Excellence is non-negotiable and I am fully committed to doing everything I can to achieve our objectives and make our fans proud.”

The United Rugby Championship (URC) asks different questions compared to Super Rugby. Plumtree’s vast experience as coach will certainly be valuable as he attempts to mould a team of big names into a consistent unit.

Powell has been coaching the team over the past three months with mixed results. His brief as director of rugby is much broader than coaching the flagship team, and he seemed relieved to be able to turn the team back over to Plumtree.

The Sharks face Irish powerhouse Leinster in the URC quarterfinals in Dublin this weekend, and no one gives them much of chance. They’ll also be without the injured trio of Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth and Curwin Bosch for the match.

By finishing eighth on the 2023 URC standings, the Sharks also missed out on a place in the European Champions Cup next season. Plumtree has some work to do.

“For us, it’s the start of a new era getting Plum to head up the senior coaching structures with Dave Williams coming in as an assistant coach,” Powell said.

“This is an exciting time and a great opportunity to welcome back two vastly experienced coaches that understand our culture, the environment and know what it takes to wear this jersey.

“Plum is an experienced and astute coach who has worked at the highest level. We are delighted to have him return to the Sharks set-up and lead our senior team. I am sure he is looking forward to hitting the ground running in July, as we prepare for the new season ahead.” DM

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Acrimonious departure

Wheel turns