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Following on from Plumtree's revelation last week that he is going to be making some positional changes during the present tournament in an attempt to create a truly effective attacking team for the future, speaking to the media this week, The Sharks coach admitted that Lambie's future may well lie in a different position.
“I still think Pat Lambie needs to be closer to the ball,” admitted Plumtree. “He's an excellent play-maker, has a long passing game and is a genuine threat in terms of his natural awareness of time and space so he holds defenders with his attack.”
He qualified the possible move in the player's mind as, “Pat is very open to it. He played a lot at flyhalf in school. He's a natural footballer and I think it's only a matter of time before we see him playing closer to the ball. But caution is needed. He's just got into senior rugby and there will be more pressure when he gets closer to the ball. He's a good fullback as well, but if it works out, it could be a good thing for the team and for him. I don't want to turn him into a Jack of all trades, but Master of none, that's certainly not the case.”
Plumtree obviously has a high regard for the 19 year old but is loathe to break a young player before he is ready. In Lambie's case, his coach has the desire to see this locally-born and schooled player find his niche.
“Pat, for me, has a lot of attributes to play well in the midfield. He's tough and defensively very accurate in his tackling.”
Does size matter? Not when you back yourself and check all the boxes. The Sharks coach cites the examples of Wallabies Matt Giteau and Berrick Barnes who compete on the international stage without any disadvantage. “Pat's tough and a very balanced player, his balance gets him out of trouble in contact situations which is something I saw when he was playing for the U21s. He's a very natural footballer. The change could take a bit of time, but it could be a positive change for him.”
Not only from a player perspective but in terms of team needs, Lambie's shift could bring a new dimension into The Sharks attack.
“We've had problems with threats on the inside which create opportunities for the outside backs and it doesn't take a backline guru to work that out,” said Plumtree. “You have to have people who are genuine threats closer to the ball to create space for backs out wide. There aren't too many players in South Africa that are genuine threats and my thinking is that a guy like Pat is.
“We're always looking to attack, its about having the ability to do it. So there are possibly going to be some changes; we have [former fullback] Stefan Terblanche playing at 13 and if I change Pat, he will be another player in a different position. “The whole cause is about trying to develop a threatening attack that people will analyse and realise they have to watch out for the 10 and 12 because they can break the line and they are threats. That's what we haven't really had in last two Super 14s.”
The Sharks team to play the Blue Bulls on Saturday at The Absa Stadium Durban on Saturday afternoon will be named today.
