John Plumtree says a combination of personal reflection and professional pressure led him to step away from the Sharks head coach role earlier than expected.
Sunday’s Investec Champions Cup clash against Toulouse at the Stade Ernest-Wallon will be Plumtree’s final match at the helm, with JP Pietersen taking over on an interim basis from next week’s meeting with Saracens in Durban.
The transition follows a poor start to the Vodacom URC campaign that left the Sharks sitting 14th after six rounds with just one win, and intensified scrutiny after last weekend’s heavy loss to Connacht in Galway.
The Sharks had already announced in late October that Plumtree would leave the position by mutual agreement at the end of the 2025-26 season, but discussions with owner Marco Masotti in November prompted the coach to reconsider the timeline.
Plumtree revealed that during those conversations – and in a frank meeting with Pietersen and Masotti before the Connacht game – he proposed bringing the change forward.
Plumtree admits the demands of the job have taken a toll.
“My battery has been drained, and you know me well enough – you may have noticed that,” he told Independent Media rugby writer Mike Greenaway. “People have said to me, ‘God, you are not right.’ When you’re a hard man brought up to be tough, you hide those vulnerabilities.”
PLUM: I’ll be there supporting JP
He said the international break gave him time to take stock.
“I started asking myself, ‘Am I the best John Plumtree for my wife? For my kids? For my team?’ And based on what I’ve been through, maybe I’m not the best version of myself.
“Stepping aside might give me the reboot I need – and allow me to help someone else.”
Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images
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