Sharks faith in Lambie

Sharks coach John Plumtree is not at all concerned about the ability of young flyhalf Patrick Lambie to handle the pressure of Saturday’s Currie Cup final.

Lambie, who turned 20 a week ago, will become the youngest flyhalf after Derick Hougaard (Blue Bulls, 2002) to play in a Currie Cup final.

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But Plumtree is confident that Lambie is the kind of player who can express himself on the big stage when it matters. “He has matured a lot throughout the season. It was necessary for him to step up and do a job in the semi-final (against the Bulls). Now he has to do it again,” said Plumtree. “Against the Bulls the younger players really had to front up. They did it then, and I’m confident they’ll do it again on Saturday.” Flanker Keegan Daniel was another Plumtree identified as a star of the future, who had matured a great deal in the past year.

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Lambie may be 12 years younger than direct WP opponent Willem de Waal, but history shows that WP will be making a mistake to underestimate him.

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Hougaard was only 19 when he set a new record of 26 points in a final against the Lions.

“We have experienced players both sides of Patrick. Andries Strauss (inside centre) is excellent as far as leadership is concerned and Charl McLeod (scrumhalf) is in good form. I’m not worried about Patrick,” said Plumtree.

Plumtree believes the Sharks have a good mix of youth and experience, with the latter an incredibly important ingredient in a final.

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“Stefan Terblanche is an experienced leader and a number of guys like Bismarck and Jannie du Plessis, Keegan Daniel and Ryan Kankowski are players who have matured over the last few years. Our scrumhalf and flyhalf are relatively inexperienced players, but with Andries and Odwa (Ndungane) there I think we have a good balance. Youth is a good thing,” said the coach.

Plumtree said he expected a higher intensity than in the semi-final as more is at stake. He also warned the fans and players not to read too much into the Sharks’ victory over the Bulls. Although it was a great victory, and the Sharks dominated the first half, the match was very tight and there wasn’t much between the teams at the final whistle.

“Our semi-final was a very intense match, so I think we are hardened thanks to that.”

Source –  Sport 24/ Reporting by Pieter Jordaan