Well, City Press and SA Rugby Magazine have really set the cat among the pigeons over the weekend, by confirming that Nick Mallet has been “sounded out” about coaching the Sharks. Mallett, according to reports, opted to reject the approach, citing his current commitments to SuperSport as a better fit for his needs right now.
As is always the case whenever a supposed scoop like this hits the SA rugby landscape, though, each new paper and armchair pundit in turn that picks up the story has seen fit to embellish it just a little, to the extent that whatever Mallett may or may not have said appears to have been twisted out of all recognition. A nice thorny one for new Sharks CEO to solve, it would seem…
Let’s concentrate on what Mallett actually said, according to City Press. “I did have an approach from Natal,” he says, “but I’m very happy at SuperSport and want to continue what I’m doing until 2015.” I wonder if the word “approach” has somehow changed in meaning without my notice, since this reads very differently to “the Sharks offered me John Plumtree’s job”. That latter interpretation, of course, is the one that everyone seems to have assumed is the correct one. Furthermore, no mention at all was made regarding the timing of this approach either. Everyone assumes that it happened this last weekend, but it could just as well have been weeks or even months back.
The other bit of info we’re missing is who, exactly, approached Mallett. Again, the assumption is that John Smit was somehow involved, but Smit isn’t even officially in his new role yet and it’s just as likely that somebody else may have idly sounded out Mallett – along with a number of other top coaches – in order to give the new CEO an accurate picture of who might be available should he decide not to renew John Plumtree’s contract at the end of October. Hell, it could have been random people on Twitter “approaching Mallett about coaching the Sharks”, for all we know – goodness knows I’ve seen enough of those.
Whatever the truth of the matter, two things are plain. The first is that the Sharks are clearly looking at other options in terms of coaching, as one would expect them to do given the recent results and given that their coach’s contract is ending soon anyway. That’s not to say that John Plumtree himself isn’t one of those options and I’m sure Smit and the other stakeholders will give Plumtree every opportunity to explain why he should be the man to take the Sharks forward.
The other is that Nick Mallett isn’t in the running. This might come as a bitter blow to some, but I’ve known for some time that he hasn’t been interested in the job for exactly the reasons cited – and have mentioned this before – so it really shouldn’t be much of a surprise.
Tweet
https://www.facebook.com/PetitionToHaveJohnPlumtreeRemovedAsSharksCoach
@KSA Shark © (Comment 1) : you’re nothing if not
predictableconsistentpity.he would have made an awesome sharks coach oh well. on to the next 1
To me it’s not as important that Mallet won’t be the coach as it is that the Sharks are looking to replace Plumtree.
Talk about the timing of the approach, I presume it was once upon a a time when there was still a Natal.
Give the reigns to Everett for the Currie Cup at least and see happens.
Damn.
@robdylan (Comment 2) : lol:
Brendan Venter FTW.
@Big Fish (Comment 10) : Also thinking the same. Maybe Theron can join him?
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 5) : Mallett is all about ego…. I reckon he turned one of my tweets into “an approach from Natal”, knowing him…
I fully agree, would have made a brilliant sharks coach, with him leading the boys we surely would have taken the SR for the first time, oh well, like they say, no use crying over spilled milk hey. Wasn’t there talk of Stonehouse a while ago? Personally don’t like the pumas but the man really knows how to do wonders with a swak team, so imagine him coaching a team laden with stars…
@robdylan (Comment 12) : what did you tweet?
No surprise really.
@robdylan (Comment 12) : lmbo that’s funny. Glad no one’s approaching Naas, he might turns the entire sharks outfit to bulls. Bull shark lol. How about “stemmetjie” a.k.a “snor” a.k.a Pieter De Villiers lol?? Would be funny having him coach our boys.
how ready is robert du preez?
I actually tried to find the old man on Twitter but was fairly unsuccessful. What is his handle?
@Stiko85 (Comment 16) : Well old PdV will surely make for a very happy player environment. Johnie Smit might actually be willing to entertain that idea.
But make sure you have assistant coaches that knows something about rugby. 😈
@Uli (Comment 14) : I’m not even sure that I did tweet anything 🙂
@Gerhardt (Comment 17) : I think he’s ready to get started at a lower level…
@King Shark (Comment 18) : who, Mallet?
https://twitter.com/NickMallet17
@FireTheLooser (Comment 19) : lol yea hey. Similar to what jake white did when he first took the job as bok breier, he made sure he surrounded himself with coaches who knows a lot more about rugby at that level then he does. But lol, thinking of it now. Coach divvy isn’t a bad choice nogal. Ya sure he doesn’t know when to shut-up where politics are concerned but otherwise he’s not that bad a coach. Lol definitely not the best coach in the world, but not the worst either
@robdylan (Comment 22) : Sweet. Thanks.
My 5 cents worth… How about David Campese, guys?
Rob, don’t think Mallet would say he was approached by Natal if someone sent sent him something on Twitter. Approached by Natal means some with authority at the Sharks spoke to him. The only assumption is whether the takeover would happen immediately or in November.
@GreatSharksays (Comment 26) : you know, or you assume?
@GreatSharksays (Comment 26) : Natal is pre 1995?
@HansDas (Comment 25) : Campese is a liability. He cannot work constructively with anyone.
@robdylan (Comment 29) : don’t like the idea of campese as sharks coach either, leave them aussies to coach aussies, let’s look at home grown coaches, there are enough of them around aren’t there? We’ve had our fair share of kiwi’s already. Don’t need wallabies also. I’m just saying.
Every man has his price!
Give it to him Sharks.
@Stiko85 (Comment 30) : how would you feel about Robbie Deans if he loses his job at aus after the lions series?
@Big Fish (Comment 10) : He is a good choice but I don’t think the dockor will move from cape town he’s got a practice there so will take a lot for him to move
@Uli (Comment 32) : same way I feel about him now, he’s in way over his head, and if aussies have their way then JW will be the coach to take them to RWC 2015. Dean seems dodgy to me to say the least
Give Everett a chance
@Stiko85 (Comment 13) : Mallett may say all the right things as an analyst on SuperSport, but he didn’t exactly set the world on fire when he was involved with the Stormers, did he? Not saying he is a bad coach, but there are ego and personality issues which might not fit well at the Sharks.
A David campese and Eddie Jones combo-soon Eddie will become bored in Japan
He probably feared a truth and reconciliation commission, where he would have to answer for his past misdeeds.
Tricky questions like Why Percy over Joubert? Why Skinstad before Teichmann?
@willyzn (Comment 38) : exactly….
Recurring dreams of being tarred and feathered, and tied backwards to a donkey carrying him to a destination (anywhere) west of Van Reenen’s pass.
@robdylan (Comment 39) : The answers are easy though… They played for WP at the time 😛
I’m sure that when the time comes( and it surely will be when JS is reckoned in charge)the job would be openly advertised and JP would have to re apply and join the queue with everyone else. Then we can believe in fairies and father christmas…
It is no lie that Plum has had a horrid season, not easy when at times you are picking your 3rd choice in a position because of the huge number of injuries that have plagued the Sharks team. I can’t remember a season with injuries like this and I am going back 40 years. I don’t believe that his performance can be in question simply because of the injury situation. But then there is the Kanko situation all though everyone is making assumptions based on nothing. The result of that is Plum must go. Idiotic, short sighted, I don’t know pick one. I am not sure that Plum himself wants to renew his contract, which could be a good reason for other coaches being approached. He did want some time off last year and really didn’t take it. With all the treatment he is getting because of an under performing injury hit Sharks side and the Kanko story which is all his fault of course. If I was him I wouldn’t renew. We seem to forget how he did with a fully fit squad very quickly.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 1) : take this petition kak off its disrespectful to a great servant if sharks rugby, it’s done and dusted now. If plum had his full team we wouldn’t even have had this topic of discussion. I also think it was a blessing in disguise but let’s pay Plum his dues and move on to the Smit era.