The Sharks have confirmed that they have parted ways with coach Robert du Preez.

On Wednesday, the Sharks announced the news that Eduard Coetzee would be taking over from Gary Teichmann as CEO, while also stating that they had amicably parted ways with Du Preez.

Du Preez has endured a turbulent time at the helm of the Sharks, with the Durban-based side finishing eighth in Vodacom Super Rugby in 2017 and 2018, while just sneaking into the playoffs this season before losing out in the quarter-finals.

Du Preez also courted controversy towards the end of the Sharks’ Super Rugby campaign this year when he labelled certain critical sections of the media as ‘cockroaches’.

Following the season, Sean Everitt was appointed as the coach for the Currie Cup, which kicked off last weekend.

‘Rob won’t be coaching next year, at this stage we haven’t looked forward to Super Rugby [in terms of a head coach appointment],’ outgoing Teichmann commented. ‘We’re crossing the Currie Cup [bridge] now and then during the course of that, we’ll start planning towards Super Rugby.’

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