Coach John Plumtree says the Sharks let themselves down in their 35-19 defeat to the Glasgow Warriors on Friday night.
The visitors were in contention for the majority of the Vodacom URC match at Scotstoun Stadium, but the momentum shifted firmly in the Warriors’ favour late on.
“We were at times not very smart defensively, giving away penalties. Our lineout defence on the goal line wasn’t where it needed to be and that probably came down to some players not knowing our game,” Plumtree admitted.
“For 69 minutes, we were in the game but then they scored a try that probably put us away and at the end it was just disappointing to give away a couple of yellow cards and concede a penalty try.”
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However, with nine debutants in the match 23, Plumtree said he was proud of the character his side displayed in difficult circumstances.
“Couldn’t fault the effort of the boys. There were always going to be some challenges in terms of combinations and our continuity, but I’m really proud of the fight we showed.”
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The Sharks boss believes his group will be stronger for the experience.
“Some really nice learnings for us and some things we can work really hard on this week to improve our game, getting to know each other a little bit better.”
Photo: Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images
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