He was previously the head coach for the Hurricanes and the Sharks, which competes in the Super Rugby and Currie Cup competitions.
[5] Reflecting on this move he later told the New Zealand Herald: "I did not want to get caught being a young rugby player in a small town for a long time.
So he accepted the opportunity to play for Durban High School Old Boys RFC, home to quite a number of overseas players at the time.
These included Murray Mexted, Mike Teague, Chris Butcher, Martin Whitcombe and Peter Winterbottom.
[4][9] According to the BBC, Plumtree was an assistant coach with the College Rovers in North Durban, helping them win "three successive Natal titles and the South African club championship in 1994-95".
[4][5] In 2001 he returned to New Zealand, briefly acting as video analyst for Mitchell, the All Black coach at the time, working in a team that included Robbie Deans, the New Zealander who coached the Australian national team until the series defeat by the 2013 British and Irish Lions.
[1][11] Plumtree returned to South Africa after he found that he was not to be given a New Zealand side in the Super Rugby tournament.