John Plumtree the rugby nomad moving Ireland along nicely

By his own admission, John Plumtree is “a bit of a rugby nomad”. It’s the Kiwi way, be it as a player and/or a coach, and so Plumtree has already spent 15 years of his life in South Africa, from where he came directly to Ireland as forwards coach in September. So nomadic has his life been that his father has still yet to see his third and youngest son Troy, who is seven.

Even though his dad, Peter, is a contented dairy farmer who, by contrast, is not inclined to travel, this is something Plumtree admits to a tad sheepishly, and he intends to rectify it after the June tour to Argentina, even if that is in the midst of a New Zealand winter.

It’s his first Six Nations and he’s picked a good one, although the intensity of the tournament has taken him aback a little. Compared to the more drawn out nature of Super Rugby, with a month on the road and maybe a month at home, the repetition of two nights away, one night at home, and often not unpacking bags, has been another adjustment.

“We are looking forward to the end of the Six Nations so that we can have a look around Ireland and have a bit of a holiday. It has been a real change for us in terms of pretty much everything; the culture, the weather, everything has been massive since we’ve left Durban so I wouldn’t say it has been easy by any means but it has really pulled our family closer together.”

Not having their customary network of friends, their social life has taken a bit of a hit, as he describes it. “But that will happen. We’ll get to know more people socially and the barbecue will go on soon and the beers will come out.”

Away from rugby he used to enjoy spear fishing in New Zealand. “But in South Africa I didn’t do a lot because obviously the sharks and stuff used to bother me.” He also has a good mountain bike. “But if it’s less than 10, if it’s seven degrees, it’s too cold for me mate!”

Been rewarding
Watching the way the squad has grown has been rewarding, as has working with Joe Schmidt and Less Kiss, and the players. “The players are real humble boys, for household names in Ireland and some household names around the world. They’re really easy to deal with. They’ve got really good work ethics.

“In South Africa you’ve got bigger men so getting go-forward can be a bit blunter in getting across that advantage line with the different characters that I had at the Sharks. But I’ve been really impressed with the way that Joe structures the attack for us to get momentum.”

Although he watched some Six Nations games growing up in New Zealand and then when playing much of his career in South Africa, his coaching stint at Swansea, from 1997 to 2001, enabled him to become more acquainted with the Six Nations, even standing on the Lansdowne Road terraces behind the goal for an Ireland-Wales game in 1998.

He and his wife Lara, from Durban, have three boys, the Welsh-born eldest two of Reece (15) and Taine (14), and South African-born Troy. “They have pretty much been brought up in a changing room, be it Swansea, Wellington or Durban. They’ve sat on many a famous rugby player’s knees, and they love it.” Reece has been playing on the Blackrock schools junior cup team while Taine is itching for the cricket season.

Article source: http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/feb/07/ireland-jamie-heaslip-six-nations-wales

John Plumtree the rugby nomad moving Ireland along nicely