THE Sharks could have had it all this season, a rare Super Rugby and Currie Cup trophy double but they have finished the year empty-handed instead.
Much of the failure to scale the heights they long to reach could be attributed to their management turmoil, which has plagued them for two straight seasons.
Erstwhile director of rugby Jake White took over a team of Currie Cup champions and left behind a group unable to defend their title this year. It was a relationship that was always going to end in heartbreak.
The Sharks blew a chance to top the Super Rugby standings this season by losing to the Highlanders and the Stormers at home. They limped to third place - that precarious playoff spot with no advantages except a chance to earn air miles - and whimpered out of the tournament at the hands of losing finalists the Crusaders in New Zealand.
A few months on and the youngsters on which they will rely for depth in Super Rugby next year went the way of their seniors, being put to the sword by the Golden Lions at Ellis Park in the Currie Cup semifinals on Saturday.
The strain of the boardroom anarchy, sweeping managerial changes, burnt bridges and three directors of rugby in two years came to a nadir when they were walloped 50-20 in Johannesburg.
Coach Brad Macleod- Henderson, who shared the triumphant high-fives under Brendan Venter last year, admitted that they fell short of their own targets this year.
He maintained, though, that it was an encouraging year. Young players like Andre Esterhuizen and Thomas "The Tank" du Toit have raised optimism, while Cobus Reinach grew his reputation as one of the top emerging scrumhalves.
"If you measure by the semifinals we've reached - Super Rugby and Currie Cup - it is a very good year," Macleod-Henderson said.
What went wrong for Sharks?
THE Sharks could have had it all this season, a rare Super Rugby and Currie Cup trophy double but they have finished the year empty-handed instead.
Much of the failure to scale the heights they long to reach could be attributed to their management turmoil, which has plagued them for two straight seasons.
Erstwhile director of rugby Jake White took over a team of Currie Cup champions and left behind a group unable to defend their title this year. It was a relationship that was always going to end in heartbreak.
The Sharks blew a chance to top the Super Rugby standings this season by losing to the Highlanders and the Stormers at home. They limped to third place - that precarious playoff spot with no advantages except a chance to earn air miles - and whimpered out of the tournament at the hands of losing finalists the Crusaders in New Zealand.
A few months on and the youngsters on which they will rely for depth in Super Rugby next year went the way of their seniors, being put to the sword by the Golden Lions at Ellis Park in the Currie Cup semifinals on Saturday.
The strain of the boardroom anarchy, sweeping managerial changes, burnt bridges and three directors of rugby in two years came to a nadir when they were walloped 50-20 in Johannesburg.
Coach Brad Macleod- Henderson, who shared the triumphant high-fives under Brendan Venter last year, admitted that they fell short of their own targets this year.
He maintained, though, that it was an encouraging year. Young players like Andre Esterhuizen and Thomas "The Tank" du Toit have raised optimism, while Cobus Reinach grew his reputation as one of the top emerging scrumhalves.
"If you measure by the semifinals we've reached - Super Rugby and Currie Cup - it is a very good year," Macleod-Henderson said.
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