According to Beeld and Sport24, Sharks CEO John Smit has successfully lured Blue Bulls under 19 coach Paul Anthony to Durban, where he will take up a coaching role with the side.
Anthony, who coached Smit at Pretoria Boys High School, during a 25-year coaching career at that school that included a rare first XV win over Affies in 2003, has been the full-time Bulls under 19 coach since 2008 and has taken the team to no fewer than six under 19 competition finals in that time. Reading between the lines, the fact that the Bulls haven’t been willing to move Anthony up through the ranks despite his success at under 19 level may well have made it easier for Smit to convince him to move.
Anthony will work under Brenden Venter as part of an overhauled coaching structure; Beeld’s information is that he will server as an assistant to Brad Macleod-Henderson and Sean Everitt during the Currie Cup, while other sources suggest he may be set to work with Ettiene Fynn and the Sharks under 21 side. Smit has said he will confirm coaching appointments only after Super Rugby has run its course for the year.
Having been coached by “Mr Ants” myself, though, I can only congratulate the Sharks on seeing the potential in an amazing coach and making him part of the team to take us forward. Like Macleod-Henderson and Everitt, Anthony is a wonderful developer of talent and is open, likeable and manages his players well. Without wanting to second-guess Smit, he seems determined to create a player-friendly environment in Durban, with a lot of emphasis on coaches who have shown the ability to develop players and bring them successfully through the structure.
This, again, points to Smit and Venter planning to fix Sharks rugby “from within”, by concentrating on development and succession planning, rather than opening the chequebook to lure a bunch of new “mercenaries” to the team.
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I like the idea of coaches that are able to keep the players happy. Follow the Google template, happy workers are efficient workers.
This was one very important aspect of White and PdV’s coaching style imo.
The specialist and technical coaches will however play a very important part if this coaching structure is to succeed.
@FireTheLooser (Comment 1) : Just asking without knowing myself, do you think the players are not happy at HM? what makes his style so different?
Rob, can you give more info on what success Ants had with u19′s?
Also why is it such a big thing that he managed to beat Affies….once?
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Pretty handy info info on this man, if you know nothing about him like me
http://www.unionsportsmag.co.za/union-sports-magazine-issue-23/2013/04/29/paul-anthony-blue-bulls-coach-qa/
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Seeing as Smittie got Venter to be the brains of the outfit and now is getting coaches who manage people, it might not be so absurd to see PDivvie getting involved somehow.
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@Uli (Comment 2) : HM seems to want his players to be brain dead robots, free thinking is outlawed…for anybody with half a brain, this would be quite frustrating….probably why the bulls and tjieta player enjoy playing under him
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@KingRiaan (Comment 4) : I would cry…. and move to PTA at the same time.. lol
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@FireTheLooser (Comment 5) : Yet the Bulls are the only team who has won the super 12/14….
I don’t understand that criticism. The “free thinking” teams seems to never win the cup. Cheetahs, Sharks, the Stormers(Percy days), Hurricanes the list goes on.
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@Uli (Comment 7) : You don’t rate the Crusaders as “free thinking”?
Problem is, you need to be able to merge structure with “free thinking”. Sadly with most teams it is the one or the other, when together they make the game of rugby the beauty that we love and enjoy.
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@Uli (Comment 7) : just a tiny point of correction. The Bulls never won the Super 12.
They rather sucked in the Super 12. Big time.
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@FireTheLooser (Comment 8) : Look at how Carter dictates a game. Yes they know exactly when its on to go score tries from anywhere. They have seriously been blessed with super players over the years. My feeling is the bulls match the saders style more closely, they just dont take as many chances as saders would, reason being they dont have as many freak players as the saders has.
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@Feather (Comment 9) : ok well lets just call it super 15 over and out
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@Uli (Comment 10) : Do you think it’s the players or the superior coaching at age group that turn these players into what they are today?
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I have read in a few places players leaving.
Is there any chance of a full article on who exactly is leaving the Sharks rugby, being players and coach. If possible can you include player/coach then position. It will make handy reading i have lost track of whom exactly is leaving or staying.
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@FireTheLooser (Comment 12) : It could be the age group coaching. I just get the feeling everyone wants this “total” rugby to be played, yet every time we have tried it, we failed miserably, rather play to your strengths.
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Sounds good. Reading the Union Sports Mag article, he has nothing to learn at the Sharks
So all his effort would be in coaching the guys
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I have had the privilege of being taught, but not coached by Mr. Ants, many moons ago when back at PBHS,solid man and I think a will be a great asset to the Sharks ranks
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@stevovo (Comment 16) : when were you there?
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@robdylan: 82-86, and you?
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@Uli (Comment 14) : Do you think we will beat the All Blacks this year? Irrespective we must play to our strengths.
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@stevovo (Comment 18) : oh ok, a good few years before me, mate. 91-95.
What house were you in?
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@robdylan (Comment 20) : Yes, giving away my age now. Am a proud ex-Sololmon House boy
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@stevovo (Comment 21) : oh ok. who was head of Solomon in those days? Not Elwyn vd Aardweg?
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@robdylan (Comment 22) : No, was Denton and then Wylde; what hous where you in?
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@stevovo (Comment 23) : I was a dayboy. Arcadia.
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eish, sorry boet
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@stevovo (Comment 25) : haha
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@robdylan (Comment 24) : Ja nee jou bloed is blou my seun
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@Talent (Comment 19) : I think we can beat them at home. I do however recon we need a new captain to replace JdV, I just don’t see him making the next WC. But who to replace him with? that’s a whole story on its own.
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