Scott Mathie juggles which European tricks to teach the Sharks

The new attack coach says anything he decides to employ from his time in Europe will be used within the Sharks' framework. Former Edinburgh assistant coach Scott Matthie says it has been a “really cool experience” deciding what strategies to pass on to the Sharks and what to leave out. The Durban-born former Sharks scrumhalf left his successful Griquas coaching role in 2021 to spend three years as head coach of the New England Free Jacks, winning the United States’ MLR coach of the year in 2024, before joining Edinburgh for two seasons. While the Scottish side reached the United Rugby Championship quarter-finals in 2024/25, they finished 12th last season, and Mathie returned to the club of his youth. Phase play and 22m entries Mathie said his return to South Africa and the Sharks after a long time away had brought him “a lot of joy and enthusiasm”. The club ensured his transition was seamless. But not everything he knew could or should be applied to the Sharks. “It was interesting being part of Edinburgh and a Northern Hemisphere team. You get exposed to a completely different type of playing style,” he said ahead of the Sharks’ season opener against Ospreys at Kings Park on Saturday afternoon. “It has evolved around the type of players you have. There is a lot of system stuff that gets driven in the Northern Hemisphere around phase play. “There are elements of that that I would say I’ve brought through. But the biggest thing is that anything that I have brought through is a servant to how we play the game at the Sharks.” Northern Hemisphere sides put much analysis into intricacies around 22m entries and converting those into points. “It’s something they spend a lot of time on,” Mathie explained. “It’s been a really cool experience figuring out what to take and add and what to keep.” An ‘honour’ to coach young Sharks stars Mathie said his goal was to ensure the Sharks were moving well and “connected to the ball and to space”. “If we are working really hard and moving well around the field, then we can connect ourselves to where the space is. I think that’s the essence of attack, really.” Young backline stars such as Jaco Williams, Zekhethelo Siyaya and Luan Giliomee (the latter set to join the Bulls shortly) showed “exceptional ability”. “When you look around training and see the explosiveness and speed that we’ve got in the backs in particular, with the youngsters, it’s a real honour to be in charge helping them reach that. “It’s our job to be the custodians of their growth and help them achieve their potential.”