John Plumtree has rued the impact of South African teams’ exit from Super Rugby, which he believes in its current form as Super Rugby Pacific has “lost a bit of spice”.
John Plumtree has rued the impact of South Africa’s exit from Super Rugby, which he believes has “lost a bit of spice”.
The New Zealander believes it’s “not an even playing field”, and that it would’ve been a lot less travel if local franchises stayed in Super Rugby – the DHL Stormers, Vodacom Bulls, Sharks and Lions departed the old SANZAAR competition for the inaugural URC in 2021. “It’s not the same flavour; the physicality is down. You still get the odd good game and derby game, but unfortunately the Australians, apart from the Brumbies, haven’t really lived up to being competition for the top sides in New Zealand.He added: “The Sharks certainly have to be more adaptable in how we play and negotiate travel, and I think that’s where my experience can really help out. We need to manage the wear and tear of the group, with all the travel.
“[But] it’s definitely not an even playing field if you see the amount of travelling the boys have to do, especially going via Doha and stuff like that, seems like madness.Turning his attention to this weekend and the URC quarter-final between the Sharks and Leinster in Dublin on Saturday, he said: “It’s going to be tough to beat Leinster in Leinster, and particularly with the injuries that the Sharks have got [at the moment].
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