Wales star moved to another level after personal 'wake-up call' from Gatland
The Scarlets star has been in outstanding form and is now eyeing a big summer
Henry Thomas and Taine Plumtree
(Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd )
Taine Plumtree is confident the Scarlets can compete for the United Rugby Championship title this season as he targets a place on Wales' tour of Japan following a personal "wake up call".
The Scarlets claimed a stunning victory in Johannesburg against the Lions last Sunday on the back of a noteworthy win over Leinster last month. Dwayne Peel's side face the Sharks in Durban this weekend and are in a strong position to reach the URC play-offs even if they lose.
But Plumtree believes the Scarlets can achieve far more this season than simply reaching the top eight. Join WalesOnline Rugby's WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free
"Yes, 100%," said Plumtree when asked if the Scarlets can go far in the play-offs.
"We are confident with each other as a group and we've got good coaches.
"The play-offs is a bit foreign to a lot of these boys in the team now but you've got to touch back to the good leaders we have in this team like Josh Macleod, Gar Davies and Sam Lousi who have all been in those spots.
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"They are good people to follow. It is a young group in the team and those are boys we do like to sit behind and let them take the lead.
"I think we've been doing that brilliantly over this last season. Hopefully we make the play-offs this week and it's not just the quarter-finals we make.
"We are really in contention to make the final and hopefully lifting some silverware."
The backrower has been in outstanding form for the Scarlets over the past few weeks with his explosive carrying, athleticism and physicality a big asset to the Welsh club.
But Plumtree was initially left out of Wales' Six Nations squad after being told to work on his discipline, but he has bounced back a better player and is targeting a place on the summer tour of Japan.
"I think it was probably a bit of a wake-up call," he said.
"I got some pretty decent feedback on things I needed to do better. I've hopefully been implementing that in my game.
"The summer tour is a goal of mine that I want to make. Getting left out of the Six Nations was really disappointing because the year before I was injured and I really wanted to play.
"You can never really get anything if you don't work hard for it. I think I've been working pretty hard over the last few months and with the summer tour hopefully I'll be involved with that.
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"There was a lot of smarts around defence and breakdown. I think I was averaging around two or three penalties a game potentially in one block of the season.
"I had to look at those penalties and think how I could be better to either help the team and not potentially go for a jackal or go for a barge and instead going out into the defensive line.
"So, things like that. Also, my physicality around defence and getting that right."
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