FAMILY ‘BRAGGING RIGHTS’ ON THE LINE AS SPECIAL REUNION SET FOR SCARLETS V SHARKS CLASH

John and Taine Plumtree are preparing themselves for a special family reunion when the Scarlets host the Sharks in their United Rugby Championship clash at Parc y Scarlets on Friday night.

Under different circumstances the father and son duo could have been in the same camp as Sharks head coach John was eager for his boy to join him at the Durban-based outfit from New Zealand.

However, back-row Taine, who was born in Swansea in 2000 while his dad coached there, decided to join the Scarlets from Auckland-based Super Rugby outfit the Blues.

The former New Zealand U20 representative joined the Scarlets last June and has gone on to make two appearances for Wales at international level.

‘A little bit of chat’

“There’s been a little bit of chat between me and dad over the last couple of weeks in the lead-up to it, no doubt,” Taine told the URC media team.

“I stayed at their hotel on Sunday just because I haven’t seen them since September and it was really good catching up.

“It is going to be quite a cool occasion for us. It will be a nice family affair with him upstairs and me down on the pitch.

“There’s no hostility whatsoever. It’s more a bit of a joke between us now. I guess there’s a bit of bragging rights at the dinner table. If I am able to get up, I might finally get the head of the table at dinner when I am back in New Zealand!”

The 24-year-old also spoke about his close relationship with his father, who has played a big part in his career from his first rugby boots through to now.

“I’ve always looked up to him,” he said.

“I’ve been around rugby my whole life, so it was something I’ve always wanted to do, but it was never a thing where he was like ‘You’ve got to do this, you’ve got to do that.’

“He’s never been one to push me to do something because it’s what he wanted me to do, it’s always what I wanted.

“He has always been that sort of pillar in the background who has helped me out with my rugby through my career, giving me pretty decent advice, and he still does.

“We always catch up after a game. He gives me a couple of pointers on what he thinks I did well and what he thinks I could do better and that won’t change this weekend either.

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“We will catch up on Friday night for a beer, no doubt, and chat about the game.”

Like his father, Taine also plies his trade on the flank, and is aware that he will be compared to him as a player.

“I know he was a bit of a rangy loose forward, so I probably wouldn’t say I’m too far away from him. I would say I’m a bit better though! He probably wouldn’t agree!”

Meanwhile, John has made no secret of the fact he would have liked to work with Taine.

“I wanted him to come to the Sharks, but as soon as Warren Gatland got involved, it was all over, he was heading for Wales,” said the former All Blacks assistant coach.

“I am really proud of him. He is loving it at the Scarlets. He loves the Welsh people and he is happy. So if he’s happy, I’m happy.”

When asked if there was a realistic prospect of him joining the Sharks, Taine said: “The path to Wales was pretty much already set.

Keen for his dad to coach him

“I do want to get coached by him at some point in my career, but I want to build a name for myself before I have my dad as a coach.

“There are positives and a few negatives about having your old man as your coach. A couple of eyebrows can get raised.

“In terms of where I am in my career, I don’t think I’m ready for that just yet. I want all my achievements to be on my own merits.”

After joining the Scarlets, Plumtree was fast-tracked into Wales World Cup training squad ahead of the global showpiece in France and made his Test debut against England in August.

But a shoulder injury ruined his World Cup hopes, and when it continued to be a problem at the regional level, the decision was made that he needed surgery.

Now, after five months on the sidelines, he is back playing for the Scarlets and ready for a very special family occasion.

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2024-04-24T14:52:29Z dg43tfdfdgfd