Gold, Venter roles clearly defined

Gary Gold (Sharks Director of Rugby) during the Cell C Sharks press conference at Growthpoint Kings Park. Photo: Steve Haag

Gary Gold (Sharks Director of Rugby) during the Cell C Sharks press conference at Growthpoint Kings Park. Photo: Steve Haag

Published Oct 25, 2014

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Durban - Sharks chief executive John Smit and incoming director of rugby Gary Gold have shed some light on the details related to the team’s new coaching structure and individual roles.

At a press conference at the Shark Tank on Friday, Gold was officially “unveiled” as the team’s new director of rugby, with the former Bok assistant coach set to join forces with the highly-respected Brendan Venter, who will act as a technical adviser.

The duo will form part of a dynamic coaching team that includes Currie Cup coaches Brad Macleod-Henderson, Sean Everitt and Paul Anthony.

Terms such as “director of rugby” and “technical director” are still relatively new in a South African rugby context, but both Gold and Venter have had experience in those roles - at Bath and Saracens, respectively.

Venter was also the director of rugby at the Sharks for a brief but successful spell during last year’s Currie Cup, proving to be an inspirational figure as the coastal side emphatically overcame Western Province in the final at Newlands.

As was the case then, Venter will continue to commute from the Cape, where he runs a medical practice, although Smit confirmed that - as per the good doctor’s request - his involvement at the Sharks will not be on a contractual basis.

Venter will also be actively involved in the team’s Super Rugby pre-season training, which starts next month, with Gold set to temporarily return to Japan, where he has to complete a contractual coaching commitment to the Kobelco Steelers, before heading back to Durban early next year.

“What Brendan will do is provide some intellectual property in terms of where the game is going, finding out trends, and helping on detail,” Smit explained. “Brendan will come in once a week, and it’s really just to tap into his influence and energy. He has a great understanding of the game, and it’s just about having another rugby brain among our coaching staff.”

During the Super Rugby season, Gold will be very much involved in the hands-on coaching of the side, but he will also direct the coaches and weigh in on various rugby matters, including overseeing all aspects of the Sharks’ rugby programme from the junior level up.

“For the clarity of the coaches, roles and responsibilities will be very clearly defined,” Gold said. “There won’t be a grey area, and everyone will be on the same page. The coaches need to know what their responsibilities are, and the players have to understand what the coaches are responsible for. And then hopefully the director of rugby is the person that can put it all together, and that’s not to say there are elements I will or won’t coach, but we will determine that based on our needs and wants.

“The term ‘director of rugby’ is quite new in South Africa, but John and I have had experience with it overseas, and there is plenty of value that can be derived from it.”

As two vastly experienced coaches who boast a wealth of rugby knowledge, Gold and Venter are sure to complement each other extremely well, with both sharing similar philosophies in terms of promoting enterprising rugby and the feel-good factor in a team environment.

“We stared working together back in 2000 when Brendan actually appointed me to be his assistant at London Irish,” Gold said.

“We enjoyed some really good times over there, and our philosophies are very similar in terms of the type of environment that I think we need to create in order to be successful. I don’t necessarily believe it is all about the game plan, but also other details, such as the individuals you’ve got, and how you can get the very best out of them. The environment has to be conducive for them to play good rugby and enjoy what they’re doing.”

Gold is the third Sharks director to come in since June last year, but both he and Smit emphasised their desire for this appointment to be for the long term.

“I’d love this to be our last big announcement of this nature for a very long time. I think we’ve had enough of those in my first year and a half here,” Smit said with a wry chuckle.

“There are no guarantees in life, there will always be bumps along the way when changes are made, but we are determined to keep working to get things right, and we won’t stop until this is the perfect franchise.”

Independent on Saturday

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