Struggling Sharks say there's no in-fighting

The Sharks' New Zealand coach John Plumtree admits five consecutive defeats have dented his team's confidence but he has rubbished suggestions of a rift in his camp as they get set to play the Highlanders in Dunedin on Saturday.

The win-less start to the championship by the usually forceful Sharks has caused plenty of talk in South Africa and not much of it has been flattering.

Two losses at home followed by three on the road has tongues wagging in the republic and there is no doubt pressure is building on Plumtree to turn things around quickly.

"I'm sick of hearing and reading this rubbish," Plumtree said in a report in The Witness newspaper.

"We are losing and like any other team the confidence takes a knock. But to say there is a rift is just mischief-making.

"It is incorrect and it irritates me because there is no foundation to these stories."

Having been involved with the Sharks since the 2007 campaign Plumtree has yet to deliver any Super 14 silverware. Last year he took over as head coach and the side finished sixth, three points outside the top four.

The Sharks will fancy their chances against the Highlanders despite the difficulties of winning at Carisbrook.

They face a Highlanders side coming off two losses in South Africa who have only just arrived home after conceding 50 points to the Bulls in Pretoria last weekend.

The Sharks have another game in New Zealand next week when they play the Hurricanes in Plumtree's old home town of Wellington. Again, they will be up against Kiwi opposition fresh off the plane from South Africa.

The Sharks have four of their six games at home on their return to South Africa. Points in New Zealand over the next two weeks will be crucial to getting them back in the semifinals hunt.

But the Sharks, with their current struggles, can take nothing for granted and Plumtree was quick to point out the dangers of the Highlanders who will be boosted by the availability of All Blacks flanker Adam Thomson and first five Michael Hobbs after they were dropped for the Bulls game because of off-field discipline issues.

"The Highlanders are a pretty courageous team. They also beat the Cheetahs which is something we struggle to do and they are much tougher at home," Plumtree said.

The Sharks have managed to pick up four bonus points from their five losses but lie 12^th, two points adrift of the Highlanders. This is their chance to leapfrog Glenn Moore's team.

Plumtree feels things are slowly coming right but has pleaded for more accuracy from a squad stacked with Springboks. Last week they blew a golden chance against the Brumbies when they gave up a late penalty and lost 22-24.

"We just have to get smarter. When you are a couple of points up, you don't want to be giving away penalties in the final few minutes.

"The game is all about pressure and composure. At the end of the day, we didn't show enough composure to win that game."

- © Fairfax NZ News