Jump to content

Sharks (rugby union)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Cell C Sharks)
For the Sharks in the Currie Cup, see Sharks (Currie Cup). For the English team, see Sale Sharks.

The Sharks
Full nameThe Sharks
UnionSouth African Rugby Union
Emblem(s)Shark
Founded1890 (Natal Rugby Union)
1995 (Sharks franchise)
LocationDurban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
RegionKwaZulu-Natal
Ground(s)Hollywoodbets Kings Park Stadium (Capacity: 54,000)
CEOVacant
Director of RugbyNeil Powell
Coach(es)John Plumtree
Captain(s)Eben Etzebeth
Most appearancesTendai Mtawarira (159)
Top scorerCurwin Bosch (872)
Most triesMakazole Mapimpi (41)
League(s)United Rugby Championship
2024–253rd overall
1st South African Shield
1st kit
2nd kit
Official website
sharksrugby.co.za
Current season

The Sharks (known as the Hollywoodbets Sharks as they are their title sponsor) is a South African professional rugby union team based in Durban in KwaZulu-Natal. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and are eligible to compete in either the Investec Champions Cup or EPCR Challenge Cup depending on qualification. They previously competed in the Super Rugby competition until 2020. The team also competes in the Currie Cup as the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV

The Sharks reached the Super Rugby final on four occasions—once as Natal in 1996, and three times as the Sharks in 2001, 2007, and 2012—though they never won the title.[1] To date, their best performance in the United Rugby Championship is reaching the semi-finals in the 2024-25 URC Season and winning the South African conference shield in the same season.[2] In May 2024, they won their first major competition by winning the 2023–24 EPCR Challenge Cup, becoming the first South African team to win a European trophy.[3] The team - previously also competing as Natal, the Natal Sharks, and most recently, the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV has won 9 Currie Cup titles.

The team plays its home matches at the Hollywoodbets Kings Park Stadium in Durban.

History

[edit]

Overview

[edit]

The Sharks trace their origins to the formation of the Natal Rugby Union in 1890. The team competed under the name Natal, playing predominantly in the Currie Cup. In 1995, the team rebranded as the Natal Sharks.[4] This name remained in use until the advent of the franchise era in Super Rugby in 1998, when the team became known as the Coastal Sharks. This marked a formal distinction between the franchise team competing in Super Rugby and the provincial team participating in the Currie Cup, which remained as the Natal Sharks and later just the Sharks.

In 2005, the franchise's Eastern Cape partners withdrew, leaving the Sharks aligned exclusively with the KwaZulu-Natal provincial union. Since then, the Super Rugby (and later United Rugby Championship) and Currie Cup teams have been fully integrated and operate within a unified structure.

Originally, the team was fully administered by the Natal Rugby Union, except for the period from 1998 to 2005, when the Eastern Cape rugby unions played a limited role in the governance of the Super Rugby franchise. In 1999, a move toward private ownership began when SuperSport acquired a stake in the union.[5] In 2021, MVM Holdings purchased a 51% controlling interest in the Sharks, with the remaining 49% retained by the KZNRU and SuperSport.[6].

The team currently competes as the Sharks in the United Rugby Championship and international tournaments and the Sharks XV in the Currie Cup

Playing History

[edit]
For history of the Sharks while playing in the Currie Cup, see Sharks (Currie Cup).

Natal competed in the inaugural Super 10 during the 1993 season. They were in Pool A along with Auckland, Western Samoa, Queensland and Otago. They finished second in the pool on 12 points, behind Auckland on 16. The next season they played in Pool B with New South Wales, Western Samoa, Auckland and Waikato, and finished at the top of the pool to face Pool A winners Queensland in the final in Durban. Natal lost the game 21 to 10. Natal did not play in the 1995 series.

The Sharks' Currie Cup team played in the first Super 12 season, in 1996. After 11 games the Sharks finished fourth in the final standings, enough to get them through to the finals. They defeated Queensland at Ballymore 43 to 25 to get into the first Super 12 championship game. They finished inaugural runners-up, losing to Auckland 45 to 21 in Auckland. The following season Natal finished fourth once again, but lost their semi-final against Auckland.

In 1998 the Coastal Sharks (as the team was now styled) won 7 of their 11 games, and finished in their best position yet, third place. They were however defeated by the Crusaders in the semi-finals. The following season the Sharks missed the finals, finishing 7th. In 2000 the Sharks finished last in the final standings. However the next season they came second – at the time their best ever finish – and after defeating the Cats, went to Canberra for the final, which they lost against the Brumbies.

In 2002 the Sharks missed the finals after finishing 10th on the season table. The following season they came 11th. 2004 was a better season for the team, coming in at 7th after the regular season. However, in 2005 saw them slump to 12th.

Sharks playing Cats (now Lions) in 2006

In 2006, the Super 12 was expanded and became the Super 14. In the first Super 14 season the Sharks narrowly missed the finals, missing out on a 4th-place finish on points difference. In 2007 they were top of the table and became the first South African side to host a Super 12 or 14 final. The Sharks fought hard in the final but lost to the Bulls after a try by Bryan Habana.

In 2011 the Super Rugby competition was expanded again to feature an additional team from Australia changing the competition to the Super Rugby tournament. The 2012 season saw the Sharks struggle in the first few weeks, but a run of good form saw them lose only one of their last seven games to sneak into the playoffs in 6th position. They had to travel to Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia for the qualifier against The Reds, whom they beat 30–17 to reach the semi-finals. They then had to travel another 11 000 km back to Cape Town to face the Stormers, they were not given much of a chance after having crossed the Indian for the second time in as many weeks, but again they prevailed 26–19. Having beaten the Crusaders in the other semi-final, the Chiefs claimed home ground advantage for the final. After travelling over the Indian yet again (the third time in three weeks, 55 000 km travelled in total) to Hamilton, the Sharks met the Chiefs for the final, but the fairytale was not to be, and they were defeated 37–6 by the Chiefs, who claimed their first ever Super Rugby title.

The Sharks did manage to win the South African Conference and trophy once in 2014. However, after the then Director of Rugby Jake White left the club to take up a coaching role at Montpellier he left his assistant coach Brad McLeod-Henderson in charge of the Super Rugby side. After a disastrous 2015 season finishing 11th, McLeod-Henderson left the Sharks and was replaced by Gary Gold. Gold only lasting one year at the team, however the Sharks managed a four-year run of quarter final finishes between 2016 and 2019. The Sharks lead the 2020 season on 24 points having played 7 games with the Crusaders and Brumbies both on 23 points having played 6 games. The season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was never completed.

With the Covid pandemic limiting travel, regional Super Rugby tournaments were hosted, with the South African sides taking part in Super Rugby Unlocked. The tournament was heavily affected by the pandemic and several games were cancelled, nonetheless the Sharks managed a third-place finish. It was announced in 2021 that the South African franchises would leave Super Rugby, and that South Africa would be represented by the 4 top franchises in the newly renamed United Rugby Championship.[7] Due to the pandemic still causing problems for international travel another temporary regional tournament was announced, called the Pro14 Rainbow Cup. The South African sides competed in the 'Rainbow Cup SA'. The Sharks finished second behind the Bulls who went on to lose against the European leg winners, Benetton Treviso. The Sharks played their first official URC game against Munster in Ireland on 25 September 2021.[8]

Team Identity

[edit]

The team was originally known as Natal, named after the province it represents, and was informally nicknamed the Banana Boys or Piesangboere.

In 1995, the team rebranded as The Sharks. Although the new identity was initially met with some resistance, a strong season—bolstered by effective marketing, merchandise, and promotional campaigns—led to widespread acceptance. Following the rebrand, the team saw increased match attendance, merchandise sales, suite holder uptake, and season ticket purchases.

When the Super Rugby franchise system was introduced in South Africa in 1998, the team was named the Coastal Sharks and represented both the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces. As a result, it drew players from the Sharks, Border Bulldogs, and Mighty Elephants Currie Cup teams.

This arrangement continued until 2005, when the Eastern Cape launched its own Super Rugby franchise, the Southern Spears, which later became the Southern Kings. As a result, the Border Bulldogs and Mighty Elephants aligned with the Spears/Kings, leaving the Sharks affiliated exclusively with the KwaZulu-Natal provincial union.[9] From that point on, there was effectively no distinction between the Sharks’ Super Rugby and Currie Cup teams. Today, the same unified structure houses both the Sharks’ United Rugby Championship and Currie Cup sides. From 2024, the Sharks began referring to their Currie Cup side as the "Sharks XV", which was interpreted as an attempt to better align the brand identity of all teams playing as the Sharks.[10]

In 2022, the Sharks refreshed their brand again, unveiling an updated logo and a new slogan. The revised logo now features the word Durban.[11]

Stadium

[edit]
Kings Park Stadium, the home of the Sharks

Hollywoodbets Kings Park Stadium in Durban is the home ground of The Sharks. It is locally known as "The Shark Tank". It currently has a capacity of 54,000. In addition to being the home of the Sharks, it is also used during the Currie Cup for the Sharks. The ground was originally built in 1968, but have been worked on numerous times. A major upgrade occurred for the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

Current squad

[edit]
For player movements before or during the 2024–25 season, see List of 2024–25 United Rugby Championship transfers#Sharks and for squads from previous years, see Past Sharks' Squads.

The Sharks squad for the 2024–25 United Rugby Championship is:[12]

Sharks United Rugby Championship squad

Props

Hookers

Locks

Loose forwards

Scrum-halves

Fly-halves

Centres

Wingers

Fullbacks

(c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped, ST denotes a short-term signing.

Junior squad

[edit]
For squads from previous years, see Past Sharks Junior Squads.

The 2025 Sharks Junior squad is listed below. Players who have featured in Junior Rugby for the Sharks but have played in the URC or who are in the URC squad are listed above.

Sharks Junior Squad (2025)

Props

Hookers

Locks

Loose forwards

Scrum-halves

Fly-halves

Centres

Wingers

Fullbacks

Sources:[13][14][15][16][17][18]

Notable Players

[edit]

The side includes many Springbok players, including Aphelele Fassi, Ox Nche, Makazole Mapimpi, Lukhanyo Am, Grant Williams, Bongi Mbonambi, most capped Springbok Eben Etzebeth and double Rugby World Cup winning captain Siya Kolisi. Historically, many Springboks have played for the Sharks.

They have also featured many international stars including former Scottish International and current head coach of Scotland Gregor Townsend and current international Dylan Richardson; Zimbabwean international Tinotenda Mavesere; former French international Frédéric Michalak; former Australian International Ben Tapuai; and former Argentinian internationals Joaquín Díaz Bonilla and Juan Martín Hernández, amongst others.

Coaches

[edit]

History

[edit]

The Sharks were coached by Former Springbok coach Ian McIntosh between 1996 and 1999, with Hugh Reece-Edwards as his assistant. In 2000, Reece-Edwards took over as coach with Jake White and Allister Coetzee as assistants.

All three were replaced the following year however, as Rudolf Straeuli was appointed coach, with Kobus van der Merwe as his assistant. In 2002, Clinton Isaacs replaced Van der Merwe as Straeuli's assistant.

Kevin Putt was appointed as Straeuli's replacement when he was appointed Springbok coach, with Theo Jansen van Rensburg as assistant. Dick Muir replaced Putt in 2006 and pulled in John Plumtree as his assistant. Plumtree took over the head coaching position for the 2007 Currie Cup, whilst Muir took time off to add to his qualifications and learn from some of the most successful coaches in rugby history, such as Sir Clive Woodward. Muir took The Sharks to the 2007 Super 14 final at home and was later seconded as an assistant coach to Peter de Villiers with the national side.

John Plumtree took over as full-time coach in 2008 where he found immediate success, taking the Sharks to their first Currie Cup title since 1996 when they defeated the Blue Bulls in Durban. He repeated that feat in 2010 when his team beat Western Province in the Kings Park final. Following their Super Rugby Final's appearance in 2012, the Sharks produced a lacklustre season in 2013, finishing 8th on the combined log and 4th of 5 teams in the South African division. Plumtree's final season as Sharks coach was marred by a roster depleted of injuries and perceived tactical challenges.

Soon after the Sharks' appointment of former Springbok and Sharks captain John Smit as team CEO in mid 2013, news reports emerged that White had contacted former Springbok Brendan Venter to assume a short-term coaching role for the Sharks. Following days of media reports speculating on Plumtree's job security, the Sharks announced that Plumtree would not be brought back following the end of the Super Rugby Campaign. Venter was soon appointed as the Director of Rugby for the 2013 Currie Cup campaign, with coaches Brad McLeod-Henderson (forwards) and Sean Everitt (backs) assuming the day-to-day coaching responsibilities. Following the end of the Sharks' successful 2013 Currie Cup campaign, Venter stepped down as Director of Rugby. Former Springboks' coach Jake White, looking to return to coaching in South Africa, was soon hired to succeed Venter as the Sharks' Director of Rugby and Super Rugby coach, with McLeod-Henderson and Everitt remaining as his full-time assistant coaches.

At the end of 2014 White resigned as Super Rugby coach and Director of Rugby, and former Kobelco Steelers coach Gary Gold was hired as Head Coach and Super Rugby coach for the 2015 Super Rugby Season. McLeod-Henderson resigned after a poor Super Rugby Campaign and Gary Gold assumed the reigns as Currie Cup coach for 2015, Director of Rugby and the Super Rugby coach for 2016.

Towards the end of 2016 Gary Gold left the Sharks and assistant coach Robert du Preez became coach for the 2016 Currie Cup campaign, as well as the Super Rugby coach from 2017. Du Preez would lead the Sharks to the quarter-finals of Super Rugby for three consecutive years, but did not manage to progress beyond that stage.

For the 2020 season, du Preez stepped down and Sean Everitt was appointed head coach,[19] with David Williams (backline and attack) and Brent Janse van Rensburg (forwards) as his assistants.

On 28 November 2022 the Sharks played in a 0–35 home defeat to the Welsh side Cardiff. This marked the first time in franchise history the Sharks had failed to score a single point in a home game. Something the provincial Currie Cup side had also never done in the professional era. The last game in which the provincial side had failed to score a point at home was in 1972 against England.[20] The following day it was announced that then head coach Sean Everitt would be stepping down with immediate effect, and director of rugby Neil Powell would take over all of the responsibilities.[21]

At the end of the 2022–23 season, it was announced that John Plumtree would be returning to the Sharks for the forthcoming season, once again as head coach, with Powell returning to the role of Director of Rugby.[22]

Head coaches

[edit]
Name Tenure Win%
Rhodesia Ian McIntosh 1996–1999 50.0%
South Africa Hugh Reece-Edwards 2000 9.0%
South Africa Rudolf Straeuli 2001–2002 52.38
New Zealand Kevin Putt 2002–2005 40.91%
South Africa Dick Muir 2006–2007 45.2%
New Zealand John Plumtree 2008–2013 58.90%
South Africa Jake White 2014 68.75%
South Africa Gary Gold 2015–2016 50.0%
South Africa Robert du Preez 2017–2019 48.9%
South Africa Sean Everitt 2020–2022 61.36%
Namibia Neil Powell 2022–2023 52.6%
New Zealand John Plumtree 2023– 51.51%

First team coaching staff

[edit]
Name Title
Namibia Neil Powell Director of Rugby
New Zealand John Plumtree Head coach
South Africa Joey Mongalo Defence coach
South Africa Dave Williams Attack coach
South Africa Warren Whiteley Forwards coach
South Africa Philip Lemmer Forwards coach
South Africa Phiwe Nomlomo Kicking and exits

Captains

[edit]

Former players

[edit]
For a list of former and current players who have represented the Sharks in Super Rugby, United Rugby Championship and European competitions, see List of Sharks (rugby union) players.

Individual records

[edit]

Honours

[edit]

Minor Honours

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Who Are They? Introducing The Sharks". United Rugby Championship. URC. 23 December 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  2. ^ Rich, Gavin (10 March 2025). "Shield win just a stepping stone for the Sharks". SuperSport. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  3. ^ Hurcom, Sophie (24 May 2024). "Challenge Cup final: Gloucester v Sharks - all you need to know". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  4. ^ "About Us". Sharksrugby.co.za. The Sharks. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  5. ^ "SuperSport looks at the Sharks". Business Report. IOL. 30 March 1999. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  6. ^ "US Consortium to Take a Majority Ownership in the Sharks". Sharksrugby.co.za. The Sharks. 7 January 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  7. ^ "Sharks Join URC". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  8. ^ "SharksvsMunster". Sky Sports. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Southern Spears to join Super 14". SARugby.net (archived). South African Rugby Union. 25 November 2005. Retrieved 2 June 2025. {{cite web}}: Check |archive-url= value (help)
  10. ^ Burnard, Lloyd (27 August 2024). "Iconic Western Province to be permanently dropped for exclusive use of Stormers". News24. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  11. ^ "The Sharks Rebrand". Sharksrugby.co.za. The Sharks. 16 September 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  12. ^ "URC Sharks Squad". Sharks. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  13. ^ "A closer look at our junior squad". Instagram. 20 January 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  14. ^ "Our Hollywoodbets #SharksU21 team for tomorrow's match 🖤🦈". Facebook. Meta Platforms. 2 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  15. ^ "Our Hollywoodbets #SharksU21 team for today's match 🖤🦈". Facebook. Meta Platforms. 10 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  16. ^ "Our Hollywoodbets #SharksU21 team for tomorrow's match 🖤🦈". Facebook. Meta Platforms. 16 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  17. ^ "Our Hollywoodbets #SharksU21 team for today's match 🖤🦈". Facebook. Meta Platforms. 23 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  18. ^ "Our Hollywoodbets #SharksU21 team for Saturday's match 🖤🦈". Facebook. Meta Platforms. 29 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  19. ^ "Sharks confirm coaching lineup, with Sean Everitt taking over as Super Rugby coach". sarugbymag.co.za. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  20. ^ "Loss to Cardiff". News24. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  21. ^ "Sean Everitt steps down". News24. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  22. ^ "THE SHARKS MEDIA RELEASE - SHARKS COACHING ANNOUNCEMENT". The Sharks. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Howitt, Bob (2005). SANZAR Saga – Ten Years of Super 12 and Tri-Nations Rugby. Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 1-86950-566-2.
  • McIlraith, Matt (2005). Ten Years of Super 12. Hodder Moa. ISBN 1-86971-025-8.

Stat source: https://all.rugby

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sharks (rugby).
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sharks_(rugby_union)&oldid=1293640702"