Dick Muir’s assistant Super 14 coach, Sharks legend John Plumtree, will be coaching the Sharks in the 2007 Absa Currie Cup competition. Plumtree’s assistant will be Grant Bashford (who also served as an assistant to Dick in the Super 14).
Dick will, however, still be around to help out. “I will be here, but won’t be directly involved with the team on the field, but will still have some input,” he said.
He will take the opportunity to improve his coaching skills by attending the International Rugby Academy of New Zealand High Performance Coach’s Course in July.
Muir talked about the motivation behind the change: “What we want to do is move on as a team. We came so close in the Super 14, but what might have been good enough yesterday is not going to be good enough today, and with that in mind, there are certain areas we are concentrating on making vast improvements on.
“This will provide us with the opportunity to develop our coaching unit within the Sharks, and develop our depth and knowledge amongst the coaches here.
“From my side, I believe John Plumtree will offer us a great deal as Currie Cup coach, so it will be good for the team to grow even further under him.”