Marco, who left a similar role at URC side Benetton Treviso earlier in the year, will work under Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson with the Sharks first team.
The 45-year-old won more than 100 caps for Italy during a glittering career and was his country’s youngest ever captain when he was given the honour at the age of 22.
On the club front, he began his career at Padova, before moving to French club Narbonne and then, in 2006, on to Premiership side Gloucester. In 2010 he left Kingsholm to return to Italy to join Aironi before finishing his career at Zebre.
Marco’s coaching career began immediately following his retirement in 2016, when he joined Benetton Treviso as Assistant Coach. In 2021 he was appointed Head Coach.
Marco said: “I’m really excited and honoured to be part of this family. The club has been building for the last few years and to have the chance now to come and contribute is unbelievable.
“I’m excited about working with Alex. I’ve got to know him well in the last four or five years and we have built a real understanding of each other and the direction that we both want to go. I’m excited about the opportunity to contribute to the culture and to the performance of the team on the pitch.
