Sharks boss John Plumtree has leapt to the defence of his team selection for the Durban side’s 56-17 loss at the hands of Leicester Tigers on Saturday.
Plumtree’s men had to travel up to England after beating Exeter Chiefs at home last weekend and to limit fatigue on the general squad the coach left behind some superstars in the form of Eben Etzebeth and Siya Kolisi amongst several other World Cup winners.
This ended in a weakened team fielded but one still loaded with several Springboks who were ultimately schooled by one of their own as Handre Pollard pulled the strings for Leicester.
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Being treated like robots
The coach admits he wanted to bring his best side but underlined the excessive workload the South African players experience with their never-ending season.
“I want to bring our strongest Sharks side here and play on the biggest stage. I can understand their [the fans’] frustration. I want to go out there and give Leicester a good hiding in front of their home crowd. Don’t worry about that,” he said.
“We’re all competitive. But the reality is we’ve got to look after these athletes. They are not robots. They don’t front up every week. And right now, the South African boys are treated like robots.”
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This is the pinnacle
Former Wallabies and now Leicester head coach Michael Cheika disagreed with Plumtree’s views, underlining that the Champions Cup is the pinnacle of the club game.
“There is no solution required,” Cheika said. “This is the European Cup. It’s the pinnacle tournament in European footy. The idea is to do your best, and go out there and win it against the best teams. I’m not worried about the competition setup. I don’t see anything wrong with it.”
Still, the Sharks boss called for changes to the scheduling of Champions Cup fixtures going forward.
“I think the organisers need to have a look at it and go: ‘Well, why are we sending a team up here for one week?’ We arrive on Wednesday and play on Saturday. It’s hardly high performance. Maybe we should come up here and play a couple of games, and stay for a fortnight? They need to look at it,” he said.
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/the-south-african-boys-are-treated-like-robots-sharks-boss-john-plumtree-takes-aim-at-champions-cup-schedule-after-massacre-against-leicester-tigers
