Sean Everitt steps down as Sharks head coach after heavy Cardiff defeat

Following their 35-0 defeat to Cardiff on Sunday, Sharks head coach Sean Everitt has stepped down from his role with immediate effect.

The Durban outfit suffered a humiliating loss at Kings Park as the Welsh region scored four tries in a comprehensive victory over the South African side.

It has ultimately cost Everitt his job as the Sharks released a statement on Monday confirming that the head coach had left in the aftermath of the defeat.

âœThis decision has been made in the best interests of the team moving forward,❠revealed Sharks chief executive, Dr Eduard Coetzee, on the clubâ™s website.

âœOur director of rugby, Neil Powell, will oversee the remainder of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship campaign as well as our first foray in the Heineken Champions Cup, which kicks off on the 10th of December.

âœNeil will be ably supported by the rest of our current senior coaching structure, which remains unchanged.â

Coetzee added on Everittâ™s departure: âœWe thank Sean for his invaluable contribution to the Sharks over the past few years, especially navigating through a challenging Covid-19 period.

âœHe will always remain a part of the Sharks family. I would like to take this opportunity to wish him and his family the very best moving forward.â

Everitt became an assistant coach at the Sharks ahead of their Currie Cup campaign of 2008 and had risen through the ranks of the former Super Rugby outfit.

He went on to help them reach two Currie Cup finals and a fifth-placed finish in their first United Rugby Championship, sealing Champions Cup qualification.

âœThis is a sad development for me and sometimes the results donâ™t always match the tireless effort that has been put in,❠said Everitt.

âœI have been a part of this union for close on 15 years and Iâ™ve always had the best interests of this team at heart. I leave with no regrets.

âœI would like to thank the Sharks for the great memories and the wonderful opportunities that has been given to me at the helm of this fantastic team. I wish the Sharks every success, as the season progresses.â

The Sharks are currently sitting in 12th position in the United Rugby Championship standings with a record of three wins and three losses from six matches.

Their next match comes on Friday when they will look to bounce back from that Cardiff defeat with a home fixture against another Welsh region, the Ospreys.