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Christo Buchner
Johannesburg – “It does not even help to look for excuses because we were simply beaten by a better team.”
That was the assessment offered by Sharks coach John Plumtree after his side’s 8-36 defeat to the Crusaders in Nelson.
“They (the Crusaders) adapted a lot better to the difficult playing conditions. It was very cold (6 degrees Celsius) and the field very wet. There was no chance of it drying up because it was so cold and handling was difficult as a consequence.
“What happened earlier in the week (getting to Nelson) also made things difficult, but I’m not using it as an excuse at all. I’m proud of my players for reaching the last six.
“It wasn’t an easy season and we had to work hard to get there. We just weren’t good enough in this game,” said Plumtree.
He also admitted that his team felt the brunt of some refereeing decisions, though he did not want to comment further on the shocking performance of referee Bryce Lawrence.
Sharks commercial manager and former Springbok coach Rudolf Straeuli said that he would be querying some of Lawrence’s decisions on Monday.
“I also just saw what you did and that is why I don’t want to say much now,” said Straeuli.
Plumtree said that his players weren’t accurate enough with the ball in hand and also missed tackles at important periods in the match.
“We were still in it at half-time (5-13), but the try we gave them on a platter shortly after the restart was a turning point. After that we mostly played in our own half while having to try and fight back, and that was our downfall.
“The Crusaders are a fantastic team full of All Blacks and it’s not easy to beat them. The Stormers will have to play very well to make the final,” he said of Saturday’s semi-final in Cape Town.
Johannesburg – “It does not even help to look for excuses because we were simply beaten by a better team.”
That was the assessment offered by Sharks coach John Plumtree after his side’s 8-36 defeat to the Crusaders in Nelson.
“They (the Crusaders) adapted a lot better to the difficult playing conditions. It was very cold (6 degrees Celsius) and the field very wet. There was no chance of it drying up because it was so cold and handling was difficult as a consequence.
“What happened earlier in the week (getting to Nelson) also made things difficult, but I’m not using it as an excuse at all. I’m proud of my players for reaching the last six.
“It wasn’t an easy season and we had to work hard to get there. We just weren’t good enough in this game,” said Plumtree.
He also admitted that his team felt the brunt of some refereeing decisions, though he did not want to comment further on the shocking performance of referee Bryce Lawrence.
Sharks commercial manager and former Springbok coach Rudolf Straeuli said that he would be querying some of Lawrence’s decisions on Monday.
“I also just saw what you did and that is why I don’t want to say much now,” said Straeuli.
Plumtree said that his players weren’t accurate enough with the ball in hand and also missed tackles at important periods in the match.
“We were still in it at half-time (5-13), but the try we gave them on a platter shortly after the restart was a turning point. After that we mostly played in our own half while having to try and fight back, and that was our downfall.
“The Crusaders are a fantastic team full of All Blacks and it’s not easy to beat them. The Stormers will have to play very well to make the final,” he said of Saturday’s semi-final in Cape Town.
