Sharks coach John Plumtree bemoaned what he called "stupid" penalties, which he felt contributed to his team's 13-18 loss to the Bulls in the opening round of Super Rugby action at the weekend.

Sharks coach John Plumtree bemoaned what he called "stupid" penalties, which he felt contributed to his team's 13-18 loss to the Bulls in the opening round of Super Rugby action at the weekend.

The Sharks had a late opportunity to snatch what would have been a spectacular victory, but were denied by the doggedness of the Bulls.

The Bulls used the high-ball tactic to good effect, and while it didn't always come off for them, when it did, it put The Sharks under enormous pressure.

"Their contestable kicks peppered us all the time and they built pressure from either getting the bounce or collecting those box kicks and that was crucial from them," the Sharks coach said on the team's website.

"Take nothing away from the Bulls, they were pretty good as well and caught us behind the advantage line a few times.

"They didn't put a lot of pressure on us effectively, but they caught us up the middle a few times and got reward when we gave away a few stupid penalties, especially in the second half and that allowed them to get a bit of a lead going.

"Giving away penalties meant the game was getting away from us a bit [at one stage the score was 18-6 to the Bulls] and then Steyn got his kicking boots on.

"Discipline was a real focus for us, the penalty count is something we will have to adapt to."

The Sharks managed to come out of the game in relatively good shape, with Louis Ludik sustaining a haematoma in his hip and a worry about Ryan Kankowski’s thumb.

Although Pat Lambie took a heavy knock, which needed medical attention on the field, he finished the game and Plumtree confirmed that he was fine afterwards.