OrbitalDawn
Ulysses Everett McGill
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Sharks Supporters Thread
- Thread starter Mephisto_Helix
- Start date
Pixual
Expert Member
He's 100% right. Too many dutchmen in Durban these days. Let's take back the Last Outpost!!!
I see that Kanko has been called up to the sevens squad for the World Cup. I also read he is uncertain about his future at the Sharks which is why Meyer left him out the Springbok squad.
I really hope Smit sorts out what is happening in the Sharks camp because I don't want us to lose Kanko.
I really hope Smit sorts out what is happening in the Sharks camp because I don't want us to lose Kanko.
Kanko being dropped is through no fault of his own. The whole team looks out of sorts. If nothing else, the 7s score by his availability and presence there. I hope he does extremely well.
Solitude
Executive Member
Mephisto_Helix
Resident Postwhore
Halle-bloody-lujah !
John Smit making the changes we needed ....... nice job securing Brenden Venter, very nice.
John Smit making the changes we needed ....... nice job securing Brenden Venter, very nice.
Mephisto_Helix
Resident Postwhore
Sharks confirm: Brenden Venter WILL be Currie Cup coach ......... ta ta Plumbum
sand_man
Honorary Master
Think it was more the British press that issues with him. He's got a good record at Sarries.
Yeah, it's a change that should do the Sharks a lot of good. Would have preferred Mallet though. That mans a genius!!
MickeyD
RIP
I look forward to his press conferences .... very entertaining!
Well in any case this should be good for Sharks and SA rugby, Smit has only good things to say about him and Saracens. I also ready in the latest SA Rugby the Brian Van Zyl was actually a huge weight weighting down KZN rugby because he would not invest in local talent. Hopefully the appointment of Smit and Venter can turn this around.
sand_man
Honorary Master
Yeah, classic...
[video=youtube;_twJ0hmeDB4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_twJ0hmeDB4[/video]
BobsLawnService
Expert Member
- Joined
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Good to see some fresh faces come in. I wonder who will take over after the Currie Cup or do you think it is Venters probation period?
Mephisto_Helix
Resident Postwhore
awesome! Was waiting on that news
Ludik is a loss. Bosman is k@k.
Inevitable. A fresh start is necessary. Looking forward to seeing who they ultimately get.
New blood in Shark Tank
The ascension from the dressing room to the boardroom should have been a momentous occasion for the 35-year-old, but it had a touch of anticlimax about it because of the drama that had preceded it.
By the time he took over, Smit had already fallen out with an ex-coach, fired another one, and had all but been called a Judas by the supporters. Smit's work was only supposed to start in earnest this week, and being an organised sort, he thought he'd put a coach who shared his vision in place.
Imagine his surprise then when the first coach he sounded out, Nick Mallett, thought he would also sound out the media on the proposition. Mallett's slip of the tongue triggered off a chain of events which made it clear to the then incumbent coach, John Plumtree, that his services were no longer required, and ushered in former Springbok centre Brendan Venter as director of rugby.
Plumtree has done a sensational job playing the victim, which has led Sharks supporters to turn on Smit before he had even set foot in Brian van Zyl's office.
The players also somewhat dangerously dedicated their hard-fought win against the Blues to "Plum" at the weekend, which left one wondering if they weren't aware that, to some, it might have looked as if they were publicly taking sides in the fallout.
What I can't work out is what the fuss is all about. That the Sharks took an active player and appointed him as their CEO should have spoken volumes about their desire to shake things up. And as a CEO whose focus will probably be more on the rugby affairs than finances, the departure of a good but ultimately underachieving coach should have been expected.
Many have argued that Plumtree, as a long-serving player and coach, deserved to be treated better. When one looks at his two Currie Cup titles from four finals since 2008 and last year's Super 15 final, this sounds good in theory.
But what people are missing is the fact that the Sharks had become a team satisfied with being there or thereabouts when it came to whether or not they could win things. This is in stark contrast to when the Sharks prided themselves on being the first South African team to do anything.
Do people need a reminder that the supposedly enlightened Sharks - who always looked like the likely first Super rugby winners for South Africa - still haven't won it, while the supposedly backwards Bulls have done it three times?
And if you really must feel sorry for Plum, consider that he stands to pocket two years' salary that he will reportedly be paid out by the Sharks because Van Zyl made him a misguided promise of a two-year contract extension.
Frankly, if the Sharks and their fans think there has been upheaval at the Shark Tank, wait until Venter gets to grips with their team. He is not one to mince his words, and the players will discover new meaning to the word honesty. But, as he did at Saracens, he will be great for them if they want to improve - not only as players but as men as well. (He encourages players either to work or study as well as play rugby).
Given the reception, Smit might be thinking things may go pear-shaped in his first foray into the boardroom. But as a clever oke once said: confusion is good because it means change is taking place. The Sharks most definitely could use that.
The ascension from the dressing room to the boardroom should have been a momentous occasion for the 35-year-old, but it had a touch of anticlimax about it because of the drama that had preceded it.
By the time he took over, Smit had already fallen out with an ex-coach, fired another one, and had all but been called a Judas by the supporters. Smit's work was only supposed to start in earnest this week, and being an organised sort, he thought he'd put a coach who shared his vision in place.
Imagine his surprise then when the first coach he sounded out, Nick Mallett, thought he would also sound out the media on the proposition. Mallett's slip of the tongue triggered off a chain of events which made it clear to the then incumbent coach, John Plumtree, that his services were no longer required, and ushered in former Springbok centre Brendan Venter as director of rugby.
Plumtree has done a sensational job playing the victim, which has led Sharks supporters to turn on Smit before he had even set foot in Brian van Zyl's office.
The players also somewhat dangerously dedicated their hard-fought win against the Blues to "Plum" at the weekend, which left one wondering if they weren't aware that, to some, it might have looked as if they were publicly taking sides in the fallout.
What I can't work out is what the fuss is all about. That the Sharks took an active player and appointed him as their CEO should have spoken volumes about their desire to shake things up. And as a CEO whose focus will probably be more on the rugby affairs than finances, the departure of a good but ultimately underachieving coach should have been expected.
Many have argued that Plumtree, as a long-serving player and coach, deserved to be treated better. When one looks at his two Currie Cup titles from four finals since 2008 and last year's Super 15 final, this sounds good in theory.
But what people are missing is the fact that the Sharks had become a team satisfied with being there or thereabouts when it came to whether or not they could win things. This is in stark contrast to when the Sharks prided themselves on being the first South African team to do anything.
Do people need a reminder that the supposedly enlightened Sharks - who always looked like the likely first Super rugby winners for South Africa - still haven't won it, while the supposedly backwards Bulls have done it three times?
And if you really must feel sorry for Plum, consider that he stands to pocket two years' salary that he will reportedly be paid out by the Sharks because Van Zyl made him a misguided promise of a two-year contract extension.
Frankly, if the Sharks and their fans think there has been upheaval at the Shark Tank, wait until Venter gets to grips with their team. He is not one to mince his words, and the players will discover new meaning to the word honesty. But, as he did at Saracens, he will be great for them if they want to improve - not only as players but as men as well. (He encourages players either to work or study as well as play rugby).
Given the reception, Smit might be thinking things may go pear-shaped in his first foray into the boardroom. But as a clever oke once said: confusion is good because it means change is taking place. The Sharks most definitely could use that.