Under-fire Plumtree banks on his Springboks again

While Sharks head coach John Plumtree admitted he is feeling the pressure of a dismal start to the season, “everyone is working as hard as possible” to get the team back on winning ways.

- Nicholas Zaal

Plumtree named 13 Springboks in his starting XV and two on the bench to face Scarlets at Kings Park on Saturday (kickoff 4pm) after his similarly-strengthed team lost 34-26 to Ulster at the Sharks Tank last week, their fourth match in a row without a win.

The Durban side find themselves 14th on the United Rugby Championship log the same place they finished in Plumtree’s first season, 2023/24.

Scarlets are also in dire straits, having lost all three of their matches, with one postponed. They are bottom of the table.

The Sharks have a 3-1 win against the Welsh side, including victories in their last two games.