Sharks youngsters to show their worth
The Durban-based franchise will be without the likes of the Du Plessis brothers, Bismarck and Jannie, Willem Alberts, Pieter Steph du Toit and Francios Steyn this year.
However, for Gold, 2016 is all about bringing through the stars of the future to fill the void left by those players.
"We've got a wonderful group of players who got to step up to the plate." said Gold.
"I think we are still in transition and I think it is important to acknowledge that. But we are not shying away from the task at hand. Transition can't be an excuse.
"It is exciting though, with our focus on wanting to give those opportunities to the youngsters that we've got and we believe we got some great youngsters. There is no shortage of enthusiasm and excitement for wanting to play for the Sharks, which I am taking a lot of heart from.
"It's like a snake shedding its skin. It has not died, it has not gone away. It is a new chapter for many people. It's going to be a new chapter for many of these guys as it is going to be their first full season. I think if you are good enough, you are old enough and I think many of these guys are good enough and old enough."
One player Gold will be leaning on during this transition period is flyhalf Patrick Lambie. The 25-year-old Springbok will be captaining the side this season.
"With Patrick as our captain – it's going to be a new voice, a new leadership style. A leadership style I am personally very excited about.
"The one thing that there is no doubt about is that Patrick is a hugely respected man. He speaks a huge amount of sense and I think the players love being led by him," Gold added.
Despite all the enthusiasm and confidence, the Sharks will still need positive results on the field to bury last season's ghosts and Gold feels that they are well on their way to doing just that.
"It has been a wonderful pre-season after the disappointment of the Currie Cup. There has been lots of introspection. We needed to assess the whole of last year – our frailties and our shortcomings and I think we have done that objectively.
"It has not been easy, but if you keep doing the same thing and hope for a different result then you could be slightly insane. We have changed that -just knuckled down and got on with the hard work," said Gold.
By Warren Fortune
@FortuneWarren
@rugby365com
