John Plumtree (Gallo)

Related Links

• Sharks do their bit for Bulls
• Div's Boland deal causes stir
• Ludeke a happy man

Of course winning is always nice, particularly after there had been such a long sequence of losses earlier in the competition. And to do it in the final week of a particularly tough and arduous five week tour, which saw the Sharks cross the Tasman Sea twice in both directions, was a noteworthy achievement.

But an additional reason to feel chuffed would have been provided by the identity of the Sharks’ opponents. Both Plumtree and one of his assistants, Chris Boyd, have coached the Lions in the New Zealand domestic competition, and they always bring just a bit of needle and edge to the match-up against their old mates.

After what went before, it must have been a good feeling for Plumtree to leave New Zealand with just a small flow of satisfaction running through him. Two wins in successive matches against Kiwi teams on New Zealand soil is nothing to scoff at, and it gives credence to the theory that all the Sharks needed was the confidence that comes with finally getting a win.

Their losing sequence had stretched eight matches back through the pre-season warm-up fixtures to the Currie Cup semi-final against the Cheetahs, and it would have been understandable if they had started to feel that they had just forgotten how to win.

As coincidence would have it, their fortunes changed for the better on the same day as they finally got some rub of the green in terms of refereeing calls, with a few big 50/50 TMO rulings going their way against the Highlanders in Dunedin. There was also some luck in the form of the Adi Jacobs intercept try that sewed it up in the last two minutes of that game.

But Plumtree was reminded earlier in the competition that winners make their own luck, so he would probably be justified to claim that this was an example of it. The Sharks were better against the Hurricanes than they were against the Highlanders, where they made their own luck by playing the right game against a Hurricanes team that at times gave the impression their own losing sequence is starting to impact on their confidence.

The way the Sharks players celebrated at the final whistle gave the lie to the theory that there is dissension in the camp. If there was, the surface evidence, with John Smit and Bismarck du Plessis embracing with a massive hug after the game, suggests that the problems have been ironed out.

If correct, this is good news for Sharks fans as there is just still an outside chance that the Sharks might be able to work a miracle by sneaking into the semi-finals as they start their extended home run this weekend by hosting the Reds.

It is a long shot, as they will be playing the Bulls in Pretoria in one of those games and the Blues and Stormers are among the sides scheduled to come to ABSA Stadium, but at least they are showing signs of making a fight of it.

In previous seasons the Sharks have started well and then lost momentum after halfway. Could this be a year where we see the opposite effect? There is also an omen in the fact that they started their turn-around in Dunedin. The House of Pain is supposed to be a grave-yard for South African teams, but the Stormers won there in their last game of an otherwise disastrous tour in 2009, and they have hardly lost since then.

One of the first priorities for Plumtree and his coaching staff this week will be to assess the condition of some of his players. There is an immediate obstacle in the form of the injury that forced Adrian Jacobs off and threatens to keep him sidelined for some time. There is not a lot of quality midfield depth at the Sharks.

And the Sharks made it known during the tour that Andy Goode would not be returning home with them due to problems with getting a work permit. 

So they need to find a flyhalf, which will probably mean another switch for Ruan Pienaar. The Springbok played well when moved there late in both the Hurricanes and Highlanders games, but he was even better when he played his preferred position of scrumhalf.