Du Preez joins sons at Sharks
He will be an assistant coach during Super Rugby and will head up next year's Currie Cup tournament.
Du Preez also recently won the First Division trophy with the Leopards. The North West team went through the entire tournament unbeaten.
Confirming his appointment, Sharks Director of Rugby Gary Gold said: "We are immensely happy to confirm the appointment of Robert du Preez. It was an appointment that we thought long and hard about. We identified that we wanted to bring in a coach who fitted a particular profile – someone who was South African and someone that understands our unique culture and who also has a strong belief in a disciplined environment.
"We believe that Robert ticks every single box. The route that his coaching career has gone has been absolutely textbook in terms of the success he enjoyed at College Rovers, where he won 67 out of the 70 games he coached there, then with NWU-Pukke as well as the knowledge he has of unearthing the potential of young players coming through the ranks and obviously his recent success with the Leopards. He has certainly shown that there is a consistency to what he does."
"Being a former Sharks player and having played here during the glory years of the nineties, Robert is passionate about Sharks rugby. He is the ideal candidate to assist our young players during this transitional phase to senior rugby. He has enjoyed great success in his coaching career so far and he will certainly be an asset to our coaching unit," added Gold.
Reacting to his appointment, Du Preez said he was looking forward to joining his old team
"It"s fantastic to come back home to a union I had such great memories at. My role is obviously different this time around, which will present fantastic new challenges. I believe that there is great talent in the province and I am looking forward to working with the Sharks coaching team."
The Sharks have also appointed defence coach Omar Mouneimne, who was previously part of the EP Kings coaching setup. He also had coaching stints in Edinburgh and Italy.
Mouneimne will also be the team's breakdown coach.
@TheSharksZA
