Sharks coach John Plumtree says their defence and discipline let them down as they put up a spirited performance away to former champions Glasgow Warriors on Friday.

The Durban side went down 35-19 in their Vodacom URC opener. With no fewer than nine debutants in the match squad, Plumtree says he’s proud of the character his side displayed in difficult circumstances.

“Couldn’t fault the effort of the boys. Obviously nine debutants so there was always going to be some challenges in terms of combinations and our continuity, but I’m really proud of the fight we showed,” Plumtree reflected.

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The Sharks were in the contest for the majority of the match, but key moments late on shifted momentum firmly in the Warriors’ favour.

“We were at times not very smart defensively, giving away penalties, our line out 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.

“But 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.”

Despite the defeat, the Sharks boss insisted there were positives to take from the opening-round clash and 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,” he added.

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