How Sharks' recruitment policy will 'evolve'

It was 7 January 2021 when the communiqué arrived in the inbox of media outlets. MVM Holdings, an international investment consortium spearheaded by Marco Masotti, had agreed to purchase a 51 percent majority stake in the Sharks.

Then, five years later, the next tectonic shift was the ‘restructuring’ of their High Performance System, a series of strategic appointments that saw JP Pietersen appointed Head Coach and John Plumtree walking the proverbial plank.

CEO Shaun Bryans described it as five years of ‘progress’, but admitted it has not been a ‘straight line’, with many ups and downs.

It started at the back-end of the COVID pandemic, with the game’s structures under severe pressure.

In the post-COVID recovery, the Sharks engaged in a series of high-profile signings, with back-to-back World Cup winners like Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Ox Nche and Bongi Mbonambi headlining the Bok top-heavy team.

The last few seasons, there was a big focus on growing and developing the ‘business’ arm of the Sharks.

Their recruitment policy produced a mixed bag, but also some highs – such as winning the Challenge Cup in Europe, the Currie Cup and the South African URC Shield.

However, that recruitment policy requires some serious ‘refining’ and that ‘evolution’ is in progress.

“Progression through our pathways is becoming a more critical element of our strategy in terms of our on-field performance,” Bryans told a media Round Table.

“Developing talented younger players quicker and bringing them through the structure faster than was the case in 2021, 2022 and 2023.”

Michael Horak will now oversee the ‘recruiting and scouting’ process to get the best youngsters into the Sharks’ system.

“We are looking to expand our scouting efforts,” Bryans said, adding that they want to align the senior and junior structures.

Coach JP Pietersen said they will continue to ‘blood youngsters’ as they have done through the season.

“It won’t be just in ‘easy’ games or games that don’t matter, but pressure games, like Saturday against Munster,” Pietersen said.

“We will blend the youth with some experience and see if they are good enough to play at URC level.”

The Under-23 (XXIII) and Currie Cup competitions will also provide the youngsters with exposure and an opportunity to see how they perform under pressure.

Speaking about the perception that the Sharks are ‘top-heavy’ with Springboks, the CEO said they are not abandoning the previous strategy.

“It is all about balance,” Bryans said, adding: “It is about focusing on having the right players in the environment, whether they are Springboks or not.

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“From a balance and emphasis point of view, we have learnt it seems to work better bringing players through our own structures.

“They tend to be more cohesive [tailored to the Sharks’ set-up].

“There is an increased emphasis on that [the Sharks’ structures].

“The Springboks are very important, particularly when you get to play-off time in the Champions Cup.

“It is an evolution of the recruitment strategy, rather than a new strategy.”

He added that there is a vast difference between senior Springboks and the young up-and-coming internationals, but it is increasingly difficult to keep high-profile Test players on the books.

“The playing load on the Springboks does have a material impact.

“We would be stupid not to refine our recruitment and retention strategy.”

@JanDKrugby
@rugby365com