Jamieson slams Plumtree axing Durban - Craig Jamieson, captain of the first Natal team to win a Currie Cup, has slammed the Sharks management for their treatment of coach John Plumtree. Speaking to The Mercury’s website, Jamieson lashed out at the ‘unethical’ and ‘shoddy’ treatment of Plumtree. “I think the whole process has been a bit of a disaster,” said Jamieson, who captained Natal to their 18-12 victory against Northern Transvaal at Loftus Versfeld in 1990. Plumtree was a team-mate of Jamieson on that historic day, playing on the flank. Plumtree was also part of the Currie Cup-winning Natal team of 1996, later he would go on to win the Currie Cup twice as a coach. Jamieson, who was once also a top administrator at the Natal Union, said new Sharks CEO John Smit may be a “legend on the rugby field”, but he was “an Under-19 player in the business world”. Jamieson claimed Plumtree had been given a verbal guarantee that his coaching contract would be extended for another two years. Outgoing Sharks CEO Brian van Zyl has said he wanted John Plumtree to remain as Sharks coach for at least the next two years. Jamieson praised Plumtree, who led the Sharks to two Currie Cup titles, two Currie Cup finals and a Super Rugby final, for his coaching. This year, however the Sharks experienced a slump in Super Rugby due to the team being plagued by injuries. Jamieson said new CEO Smit’s conduct was baffling. “There can be different ideas of the way forward on the field, and no one’s against freshening up the way the team plays, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to go about making changes, and in Plum’s case the matter has been handled badly,” Jamieson said. Jamieson said Smit’s first decision as Sharks CEO may be one he will come to regret. “It’s a very radical move. To be honest, it’s a gamble, and only time will tell whether it succeeds. But whatever happens, Plumtree has been treated shoddily after all his years of loyalty as a player and a coach,” Jamieson said. Sport24
Posted on: Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:20:47 +0000
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