Another was the decision to suspend All Blacks Julian and Ardie Savea, Cory Jane and Victor Vito, and reserve prop Chris Eves after they returned 18 minutes late from a night out in Durban a few days before their loss to the Sharks. Some outsiders thought the punishment a bit tough; the evidence suggests otherwise.
"Boydy treats his rugby teams like a family," Plumtree said. "There are no rules but you are expected to do the right thing. Those players didn't do the right thing and so there had to be a consequence, as everyone saw. That galvanised the team because those individuals at that time weren't thinking about the team. It was important that the right call was made. As tough as it was, it had to be done."
Boyd, 58, probably didn't inspire confidence among Hurricanes supporters when he took over from Mark Hammett in late 2014. He went into the job after a nightmare season with Wellington in the national provincial championship, his side winning only one of 10 matches, and it's something that still grates despite a horrendous injury toll which saw him go through five first-fives in the first six weeks and 53 players in total.
Like all professional coaches, the defeats leave a mark on Boyd that even glorious victories can't erase.
"I was very upset that I was responsible for the Lions being demoted from the Premiership to the Championship," Boyd said. "That still hurts because you always want to leave a team better than you found it."
Another significant disappointment was last year's Super Rugby final defeat against the Highlanders.
"Winning this final doesn't get rid of the demons from last year," he said.
Given that losing is inevitable in sport, it's a wonder anyone who takes defeat as hard as Boyd has remained in the game so long. The key is probably that he inevitably comes out on the right side of the ledger and has a lot of fun along the way.
Plumtree, who worked with Boyd at the Sharks for three years nearly a decade ago, said the former Tawa Rugby Club coach was the ideal partner. Plumtree confirmed he will remain with the Hurricanes for another two years at least, with Boyd also almost certain to recommit.
"We go back a long way. I know how he thinks and he knows how I think," Plumtree said. "Sometimes we think differently and that's what makes our relationship strong in terms of what we do with our rugby teams. Boydy is really relaxed and I'm probably a little bit more tense. We trust each other to do the right thing and the way Boydy runs his management team suits us as a group."