Paul Anthony, who was John Smit’s rugby coach at high school, is set to join the Sharks as assistant coach for the Currie Cup, a report on the Beeld website indicates.
Anthony has coached the Blue Bulls’ under-19 team over the last few years, but is well known for spending 25 years at Pretoria Boys’ High, Smit’s Alma Mater.
Sport24
Anthony, who coached the Boys’ High first team for 15 years, was at the helm when they beat Affies for the first time in 2003.
Anthony will therefore join Brendan Venter, Brad MacLeod-Henderson and Sean Everitt as the men to take charge of the Sharks in the upcoming Currie Cup. His appointment is yet to be announced, but according to Beeld, it’s a mere formality.
Former Bok prop Deon Carstens is reportedly also linked with a scrum coaching role at some stage.
The new coaching staff will replace John Plumtree, Grant Bashford and Hugh Reece-Edwards, who were last month relieved of their duties after Smit was made new Sharks CEO.
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A sidenote from myself here on Rugby-Talk:
Now before all and sundry start shouting nepotism, cronyism, surrounding youself with friends, ect… like the commentors on Sport24’s blogs are doing, bear in mind that Paul Anthony has been very successful at the Blue Bulls with the Juniors, with the Under 19’s performing year after year and with those Juniors integrating very well into the Under 21’s.
Paul Anthony is an English bloke, and almost looked a bit out of place in a more Afrikaans oriented culture at the Blue Bulls, but yet the results came. He will fit right in at the Sharks. Also remember that a huge amount of our Senior and International coaches were shool masters and school coaches before stepping up… just look at Graham Henry and our own SA school master, Jake White.
Having met and spoken to the man (Anthony), this might just be an astute buy by John Smit… time will tell!