Sharks chief Eduard Coetzee hailed the influence of JP Pietersen as the former Springbok coached the union’s U20 team to the national cup title.
Pietersen’s Sharks U20 side beat the Vodacom Bulls 32-29 in the final at Kings Park on Thursday to win the SA U20 Cup.
Since hanging up his boots in 2021, the former Springbok wing has taken up coaching at the Sharks. After assisting Etienne Fynn as part of last year’s Currie Cup coaching staff, he was appointed as the union’s U20 head coach this year.
“JP knows his rugby. He has won a World Cup. He is doing well,” Sharks CEO Coetzee told Rapport. “JP deserves a lot of credit. He manages the players well. Because he played himself until quite recently, he knows what the challenges are that the youngsters experience.”
Coetzee said that the Sharks took a deliberate decision to strengthen their youth structures, which are now run by Currie Cup head coach Joey Mongalo.
“Not to take anything away from JP, he also has a strong support base. Joey Mongalo runs the Sharks’ junior systems. Neil Powell is involved and [former England fullback] Michael Horak handles the recruitment.
“The players all stay on the same floor at our high performance institute (at Kings Park). They live together. Eat together. Study together. They know each other well. It is now the third or fourth year that they have lived together. The team also has a lot of quality players. The guys push each other hard for places.”
Photo: Darren Stewart/Gallo Images