Hollywoodbets Sharks XV head coach John Plumtree said the win against the Fidelity ADT Lions in Saturday's Currie Cup final was no coincidence.
“I’m really proud of the boys, it’s great for our confidence and the never-give-up attitude we’re instilling in the team."
“We know if we build our character and build our resilience, the things that are really important because we know we have talent, we will win games. Last year we didn’t have that belief or those systems in place because I had just started. We’re starting to get there.”
“There was no pressure put on the team or myself as coach to win, the focus was on every day leading to the final and what we needed to do, we just went about our business during the week as we normally do."
“We mustn’t forget either what a great job JP Pietersen and his coaching staff did. They started this and I’m sure JP will be with me because he deserves a big part of the recognition if we get over the line."
“That’s also been nice growth, three coaches have gone and done really well with the group."
"While there’s no time for resting after the Currie Cup, with the URC opening match taking place the week after the final, the domestic competition does still provide a launch pad."
“That’s the beautiful thing about how the Currie Cup is structured now, the URC guys need to get a pre-season in and the younger guys take over. The Bulls had the same strategy as us, to use the latter stages as pre-season for the URC because we know what a massive season lies ahead of us.
“The Vodacom URC is the main goal, the Champions Cup and getting all the Springboks players back together, but for this group of players tonight it was important to win the Currie Cup, not just the players that played tonight but the players that played through the first six, seven rounds and the management team."
