Sharks director of rugby Neil Powell has revealed he will shift his focus to the Sharks Academy and leave incoming head coach John Plumtree to oversee the senior team.
Powell aims to develop the next generation of players to support the frontline talent, in the hopes of aligning the franchise for success in all competitions.
He took over as head coach mid-season after Sean Everitt was sacked, but the Sharks’ dream of lifting a maiden Vodacom United Rugby Championship trophy came to a crashing halt in Dublin on Saturday, after a quarter-final defeat.
With their URC campaign over, the Durbanites will now turn their attention to the Currie Cup, where they will likely look to bolster their squad with URC campaigners.
Plumtree was recently announced as Everitt’s replacement from 1 July, returning to Durban after his successful first stint. In 2008, he helped secure the Sharks’ first Currie Cup title since 1996, and they lifted the trophy again in 2010. In 2012, the Sharks progressed to the Super Rugby final, and reached the Currie Cup final.
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“With John Plumtree coming in, I will be less hands-on with the senior team,” Powell said. “My responsibility will be to look after the systems at the Sharks, especially the Academy, so that we fill the senior team from the bottom and not the top.
“Plum has played and coached in Durban and understands the environment, culture, and conditions. He is very experienced, and that is what the Sharks need at this point.”
He explained that management will ensure alignment on the way forward with regards to how they want to build the team, as the Sharks have a long pre-season in which to establish a solid foundation. The Academy will be a significant focus over the next two to three years, and Powell believes the ingredients are already there, considering how well the Under-19 and Currie Cup teams are doing.
“We have to develop guys to be a lot better so that the second choice is almost as good as the first choice,” he added. “We have a big responsibility to make sure we get things right from the start, and I believe John is the right man for the job.”
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