Neil Powell to strengthen depth at struggling Sharks

● While Sharks director of rugby Neil Powell is determined to make supporters and the ambitious owners of the franchise happy, the experienced coach admits there’s quite a lot to be done in the mission to lift the side to the top.

Powell, appointed as director of rugby in September, has taken over the coaching duties until the end of the season after head coach Sean Everitt was sacked following a 35-0 loss to Cardiff in the United Rugby Championship (URC) last weekend.

What role Powell played in that decision is uncertain because the Sharks management are refusing to answer media questions on this. Even so, there had been a feeling that Everitt had been a dead man walking since Powell, initially appointed as an assistant coach, was elevated to be his boss.

The Cardiff loss was the final straw for a team that had been under-achieving under Everitt, despite huge financial backing from their American owners.

But the big changes come as the Sharks are about to make their maiden appearances in the tougher European Champions Cup next weekend and it throws Powell in at the deep end. “I think it’s a totally different competition. I think it’s at that level between URC and Test match rugby,” he said.

Powell’s reign began with a 25-10 victory over struggling Ospreys in Durban on Friday, but the performance of the Sharks is not of the standard one would expect from a side of their calibre.

Powell said the changes don’t mean all problems have been fixed and the side clearly have issues that need to be addressed. The Sharks have struggled with confidence for a long time now and their squad depth is not at the required level for a side competing in two international tournaments.

The Sharks usually contribute no fewer than nine players to the Springboks and under Everitt they would normally struggle without them.

“We are at the start of our journey and I think it’s important to have squad depth and make sure that you can keep your form and momentum through the season until you get to the end in April,” Powell said.

“I think these next few weeks are going to

We are at the start of our journey and I think it’s important to have squad depth

Neil Powell Sharks director of rugby

be important to create that squad depth. We are playing 11 games in a row, we have two down and nine to go. For that you will have to rely on your squad depth to be able to rotate and play certain games.

“Squad depth is crucial, I think we are halfway there, but I think we can also develop those players into the type that we are looking for going forward.”

For their first Champions Cup match, the Sharks will host the two-time Premiership Rugby winners, the Harlequins, at Kings Park Stadium in Durban on Saturday (3pm).

“It’s going to be a tough challenge because the Harlequins are a quality side and they can play a good brand of rugby, but we are looking forward to that challenge,” Powell said.