Sharks swim in new coaching direction

THE appointment of Sean Everitt as the Sharks’ new Currie Cup coach is a breath of fresh air for the troubled union and the choice of Everitt in particular suggests that more change is on the way as the KZN franchise moves towards a post-Robert du Preez era.

Everitt and Brad Macleod-Henderson were Du Preez’s (inherited) assistant coaches and it was before the 2017 Currie Cup final between the Sharks and Western Province that the pair found out they were to be dumped by Du Preez.

That came to pass and while Macleod-Henderson moved on, Everitt returned to the Sharks’ age group ranks where he achieved success, notably with the under-19 side that went unbeaten in 2018.

Cut to the recently ended Super Rugby campaign for the Sharks, which has seen Du Preez being given a “break” from the Currie Cup while the review process for the Super Rugby campaign is undertaken, and Everitt appointed.

You can bet your bottom dollar that this appointment was not recommended and hardly endorsed by Du Preez given that he effectively sacked Everitt two years ago, and would have to retake the reins from him for Super Rugby (should he survive the review process).

It is pretty obvious the Sharks are looking to move in a new coaching direction and come Super Rugby 2020, there will be a new coach at the helm. That coach would be an experienced campaigner (the search is on) and would have Everitt as his assistant.

It is very much within the realms of possibility that there might be a comeback for Dick Muir who, funnily enough, replaced Everitt as the backline coach last year, only to earlier this year resign after a “clash of coaching philosophies” with Du Preez.

One of the issues, it has been reliably learned, was the choice of flyhalf, with Muir wanting Curwin Bosch and Du Preez wanting Rob du Preez, his son.

Du Preez is contracted until the end of 2020 but there is a groundswell of opinion that under him the Sharks have not delivered on the rich potential in their squad. The three and a half years under Du Preez have seen the Sharks win 48 per cent of their Super Rugby games and they have been bedevilled with inconsistency.

Sean Everitt