The Hollywoodbets Sharks have confirmed that head coach John Plumtree will step down at the end of the 2025/26 season and transition into an advisory role within the club.

The Durban-based franchise announced that the decision was reached after a thorough consultation process involving multiple stakeholders within the organisation.

Despite boasting several Springbok internationals, the Sharks have endured a disappointing campaign in both the Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) and the Champions Cup.

Plumtree, who returned to the Sharks at the start of last season, guided the team to their historic Challenge Cup triumph, making them the first South African club to win the second-tier European competition.

However, the franchise is now determined to launch a stronger challenge in the URC and Champions Cup, areas where results have fallen short of expectations.

“John Plumtree will step down as Head Coach by mutual agreement at the end of the 2025/26 season,” said Sharks in a statement.  

“Plumtree retains the complete backing and support of ownership, management and players. To continue building on the significant contributions he has already made, he will move to a mentoring and advisory role.  

“To support Plumtree in driving results over the remainder of the season, The Sharks will engage a technical coach consultant as a matter of urgency to provide input across on-field performance, with particular focus on the game model.” 

Plumtree said his priority remains the success of the team. “My priority has always been what’s best for the Sharks, and that remains my focus,” he commented.

Meanwhile, Neil Powell will concentrate on key operational areas, including the Junior and Academy programmes, player recruitment and retention, logistics, medical and rehabilitation, travel planning, and budget management.

In addition, Sharks CEO Shaun Bryans confirmed that the entire rugby programme will remain under critical review for the remainder of the season.

“Our performances this season have not been good enough, and we owe it to our fans and stakeholders to acknowledge and take full responsibility — no excuses. That accountability sits across the entire organisation — from management and players, to myself as CEO.   

“As an ownership group and leadership team, we remain ambitious about the future of The Sharks and, over the coming months, no stone will be left unturned as we look to build a high-performance environment capable of delivering the success that our players are capable of and that our fans and partners deserve.”