The Sharks (known as the

Cell C Cell C Limited (stylised as Cell ©) is as a private mobile operator based in Sandstone, South Africa. It was founded in November 2001 by Lambert Moloi. As of August 2019, the Company’s current CEO is Douglas Craigie Stevenson Douglas may re ...

Sharks as they are their title sponsor) is a South African professional

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

team based in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

KwaZulu Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locat ...

. They compete internationally in the

United Rugby Championship The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South Afr ...

and

Heineken Champions Cup The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Heineken Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pre ...

, having competed in the

Super Rugby Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...

competition until 2020. They are centred on the union, also based in Durban and drawing players from all of

KwaZulu-Natal Province KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locat ...

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

. In 1993–1995 South Africa was represented in the Super 10 by their three top unions (top three teams from the previous years Currie Cup). Natal (as they were called then) qualified in 1993 and 1994. Natal were runners-up in 1994 after having lost to Queensland 21–10 in the final. In 1996 and 1997 South Africa was represented in the Super 12 by their four top unions rather than franchises, and Natal qualified and competed both years. They have never won the Super Rugby competition, but have reached the final four times, as Natal in 1996 and as the Sharks in 2001, 2007 and 2012. The side sports many Springbok players, including

Thomas du Toit Thomas Joubert du Toit (born 5 May 1995) is a South African rugby union player for the South Africa national rugby union team, South Africa national team and the in the United Rugby Championship. His regular position is prop. His nickname is Th ...

Makazole Mapimpi Makazole Drex Mapimpi (born 26 July 1990) is a South African professional rugby union player for the South Africa national team and the in the United Rugby Championship. He usually plays as a winger and centre. He was part of the winning Spri ...

Lukhanyo Am Lukhanyo Am (born 28 November 1993) is a South African professional rugby union player for the South Africa national team and the in the United Rugby Championship. His regular positions are centre and wing. Professional career Am played for ...

Eben Etzebeth Eben Etzebeth (born 29 October 1991) is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for the South Africa national team and Sharks in the United Rugby Championship. His regular playing position is as a number 4 lock. Cl ...

Bongi Mbonambi Mbongeni Theo 'Bongi' Mbonambi (born 7 January 1991) is a South African professional rugby union player, He currently plays as a hooker for the United Rugby Championship, URC team and also the South Africa national rugby union team, South Afri ...

and

2019 Rugby World Cup The 2019 Rugby World Cup was the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It was hosted in Japan from 20 September to 2 November in 12 venues all across the country. The opening match ...

winning captain

Siya Kolisi Siyamthanda Kolisi (born 16 June 1991) is a South African professional rugby union player who currently captains the South Africa national team and also the Cell C Sharks. He plays club rugby for the in the Currie Cup. He generally plays as a ...

. They have also featured many international stars including France international

Frédéric Michalak Frédéric Michalak (born 16 October 1982) is a former French rugby union footballer. His early career was spent playing for his hometown team, Toulouse, in the Top 14 and in the Heineken Cup. He moved to South Africa to play for the Sharks in ...

and former Australian International

Ben Tapuai Ben Tapuai (born 19 January 1989) is an Australian professional rugby player for The Sharks, who plays in the United Rugby Championship. Tapuai grew up in Melbourne and is of Samoan heritage. His playing position is centre. Early career In 20 ...

History

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 Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...

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 The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...

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 The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of t ...

, went to Canberra for the final, which they lost against the

Brumbies The ACT Brumbies (known from 2005–2022 as simply the Brumbies) is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), The team competes in Super Rugby and named for the brumby, feral horses whi ...

. 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. 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 Goal difference, goal differential or points difference is a form of tiebreaker used to rank sport teams which finish on equal points in a league competition. Either "goal difference" or "points difference" is used, depending on whether matches ar ...

. 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 Bryan Gary Habana OIS (born 12 June 1983) is a South African former professional rugby union player who initially played as an outside centre but later on, he shifted to the wing. He most recently played for Toulon in the French Top 14 competit ...

. In 2011 the

competition was expanded again to feature an additional team from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

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 Lang Park, also known as Brisbane Football Stadium, by the sponsored name Suncorp Stadium, and nicknamed: 'The Cauldron', is a multi-purpose stadium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Milton. The current facility co ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

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 Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

to face the

Stormers The Stormers (known for sponsorship reasons as the DHL Stormers) is a South African professional rugby union team based in Cape Town in the Western Cape that competes in the United Rugby Championship, a trans-hemispheric competition that also ...

, they were not given much of a chance after having crossed the

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

for the second time in as many weeks, but again they prevailed 26–19. Having beaten the

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 Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, the Sharks met the Chiefs for the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

, 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 Jake White (born 13 December 1963 as ''Jacob Westerduin'') is a professional rugby union coach and former coach of the South African national team – the ''Springboks'' – whom he coached to victory in 2007 Rugby World Cup and the 2004 Tri ...

left the club to take up a coaching role at

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

he left his assistant coach Brad McLeod-Henderson in charge of the Super Rugby side. After a disatserous 2015 season finishing 11th, McLeod-Henderson left the Sharks and was replaced by

Gary Gold Gary Gold (born 6 July 1967) is a South African rugby union coach who has coached at various levels of the game in England, Japan and South Africa. He was until December 2022 the head coach of the United States. Coaching career London Irish G ...

. 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 The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, 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 Super Rugby Unlocked (known as Vodacom Super Rugby Unlocked for sponsorship reasons) was a professional rugby union competition played in South Africa from 10 October to 21 November 2020. Sponsored by communications company Vodacom, the tourname ...

. 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

. Due to the pandemic still causing problems for international travel another temporary regional tournament was announced, called the

Pro14 Rainbow Cup The Pro14 Rainbow Cup (also known as the Guinness Pro14 Rainbow Cup for sponsorship reasons) was a professional rugby union end-of-season cup competition played in 2021 that consisted of two separate tournaments: the Rainbow Cup for twelve Europe ...

. 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 Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...

in Ireland on 25 September 2021. In 2021 it was announced that an American consortium under the name 'MVM Holdings' in partnership with

Roc Nation Roc Nation is an entertainment agency founded by Jay-Z in 2008. The company is headquartered in Manhattan and has additional offices in Los Angeles and London. Roc Nation comprises a comprehensive talent agency, sports agency, record label, mana ...

, an entertainment agency owned by

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

JayZ Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one ...

, would buy a 51% majority stake in the Sharks franchise. Roc Nation later aided in the purchase of the English side

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...

by a consortium of investors.

The Sharks brand

After being informally called the Banana Boys or ' for a substantial length of time it was decided in 1995 that Natal would go ahead with new branding – The Sharks. This brand was conceived, presented and initially executed by Terry Kukle of Tag International Media. The Sharks mascot Sharkie was launched in 1995. To achieve this a substantial budget was allocated to refine this vision that would include the match facilities, the pre-and post-match activities and the team. The local press at first were very hesitant to accept the new name and branding and fans were polarised by the radical proposed change that flew in the face of rugby tradition and convention. After much controversy in the media (which very rapidly brought the proposed brand to everyone's attention) and a very successful season supported by great products and promotions, the Sharks were embraced by all. The Sharks' marketing has been widely acknowledged in marketing and rugby circles as best practice and included as a successful case study in many marketing textbooks. There was initially significant resistance from many quarters. This resistance was ascribed to the traditional attitudes of the rugby-loving stakeholders. However, the strategy was successful and the success of the marketing has been widely acknowledged. Crowd attendances, merchandising, suite holder and season ticket sales have all been very successful. The brand is now internationally recognised and the branding strategy is reaping dividends for all its stakeholders. As a result, since the mid-1990s the Sharks have become one of the most well-recognised and popular unions in the South African rugby landscape. The Sharks are well supported across South Africa, with sizable fan bases in all major cities including

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...

and

. Most of their supporters however live in

, particularly in and around

and

Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg (; Zulu: umGungundlovu) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its Zulu name umGungundlovu ...

Stadium

Hollywoodbets Kings Park Stadium in

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 The Currie Cup is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring (June to October), featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier ...

for the . The ground was originally built in 1968, but have been worked on numerous times. A major upgrade occurred for the

1995 Rugby World Cup The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country. The World Cup was the first major sporting event to take place in Sou ...

Region

When the Super Rugby franchise system was launched in South Africa in 1998, the team was called the Coastal Sharks and covered the

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

and

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...

provinces, therefore drawing players from the , and

teams. This lasted until 2005, when the Eastern Cape attempted to launch their own Super Rugby franchise, the

Southern Spears The Southern Spears, were a South African rugby union franchise who were founded in 2005 and were intended to participate in Super 14 from 2007 onwards; however, their proposed entry into the competition led to considerable controversy within ...

. That meant that the Border Bulldogs and Mighty Elephants teams were aligned with the Spears (and later

Southern Kings The Southern Kings were a South African professional rugby union team that competed in Super Rugby and Pro14. They were based in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape province and played their home matches at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. They wer ...

) franchise and the Sharks were effectively affiliated with one provincial union only, namely KwaZulu-Natal.

Current squad

The Sharks squad for the

2022–23 United Rugby Championship The 2022–23 United Rugby Championship is the 22nd season of the professional rugby union competition United Rugby Championship. It began on 16 September 2022. For sponsorship reasons it is known in South Africa as Vodacom United Rugby Champions ...

is.

Coaches

The Sharks were coached by Former Springbok coach

Ian McIntosh Ian McIntosh is a Zimbabwean rugby union coach. He served as head coach for the Springboks during 1993 and 1994. McIntosh grew up near Bulawayo. McIntosh never played for his country as a player but became acquainted with coaching in the 1970s ...

between 1996 and 1999, with

Hugh Reece-Edwards Hugh Meredith Reece-Edwards (born 5 January 1961) is a former South African rugby union player. His regular playing position was Full-Back. Playing career Reece-Edwards represented Natal and made his debut for the province in 1982. He played f ...

as his assistant. In 2000, Reece-Edwards took over as coach with

and

Allister Coetzee Allister Coetzee (born in Makhanda) is a South African rugby union coach and former player, currently in charge of the Namibian national team on a part time basis, whilst also head coach of Rugby Rovigo in Italy. He served as the head coach o ...

as assistants. All three were replaced the following year however, as

Rudolf Straeuli Rudolf August Wilkens Straeuli (born 20 August 1963 in Pretoria, South Africa) is a former South African rugby union player and coach and currently the CEO of the Lions Rugby Company. He played in the positions of flanker and Number 8, making ...

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 Kevin Barry Putt (born 28 July 1964) is a former rugby union player who played as a scrumhalf. He was born and raised in New Zealand and after moving to South Africa, he represented during 1994 and 1996. Playing career Putt made his first-class ...

was appointed as Straeuli's replacement when he was appointed Springbok coach, with

Theo van Rensburg Jan Theodorus 'Theo' Jansen van Rensburg (born 26 August 1967, in Carletonville), is a former South African rugby union player who played for the South Africa national rugby union team. He played as fullback. Playing career Provincial rugby Va ...

as assistant.

Dick Muir Dick John Muir (born 20 March 1965) is a South African former rugby union player, and now the interim head coach of Netherlands national rugby union team. Muir played for Natal for most of his career before moving to Western Province helping ...

replaced Putt in 2006 and pulled in

John Plumtree John Plumtree is a professional rugby union coach and former first class provincial rugby player. He was previously the head coach for the Hurricanes and the , which competes in the Super Rugby and Currie Cup competitions. As a player 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 Sir Clive Ronald Woodward (born 6 January 1956) is an English former rugby union player and coach. He was coach of the team from 1997 to 2004, managing them to victory in the 2003 Rugby World Cup. He also coached the 2005 British & Irish Lions ...

. Muir took The Sharks to the 2007 Super 14 final at home and was later seconded as an assistant coach to

Peter de Villiers Peter de Villiers (born 3 June 1957) is a South African professional rugby union coach and Good Party politician. He was coach of the South Africa national rugby union team from 2008 to 2011, after successes with the South African U19 and U21 ...

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 John William Smit, OIS, (born 3 April 1978) is a former South African rugby union player and former chief executive officer of the Sharks. He was the 50th captain of the South Africa national team, and led the team to win the 2007 Rugby World C ...

as team CEO in mid 2013, news reports emerged that White had contacted former Springbok

Brendan Venter Brendan Venter (born 29 December 1969), is a South African general practitioner and rugby union coach and former player. Venter played at centre and earned 17 caps for South Africa between 1994 and 1999. He played as a replacement in the 1995 R ...

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

, 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 The Kobelco Kobe Steelers are a Japanese rugby union team owned by Kobe Steel, and based in Kobe. They were the first ever Top League champions when the League started in the 2003-2004 season. The team rebranded as Kobelco Kobe Steelers ahead of ...

coach

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, with David Williams (backline and attack) and Brent Janse van Rensburg (forwards) as his assistants. On the 28th of November 2022 the Sharks played in a 0-35 home defeat to the Welsh side

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

. This marked the first time in franchise history the Sharks had failed to score a single point in a home game. Something the provincial

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 England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. 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 Johannes Daniel "Neil" Powell (born 28 June 1978) is a former South African Rugby Union player and currently the Director of Rugby of the Sharks Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to ...

would take over all of the responsibilities.

Captains

Gary Teichmann Gary Hamilton Teichmann (born 9 January 1967) is a retired South African professional rugby union player. He played number eight and captained the South African national team, the Springboks, between 1995 and 1999. Teichmann stands 1.95 metres ...

(1996–99) *

Wayne Fyvie Wayne Fyvie (born 28 March 1972) is a South African former rugby union player. Playing career Fyvie made his test match debut for the Springboks against , during the 1996 tour of South Africa, at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. He played a furth ...

(2000) * Mark Andrews (2001–02) *

Shaun Sowerby Shaun Sowerby (born ) is a South African rugby union player and went to Sasolburg highschool. He is currently a forwards coach for Biarritz Rugby in the top French rugby competition, the Top 14. Prior to coaching Biarritz, he had a two-year spel ...

(2003) *

(2004–11) * Johann Muller (2008–10) *

Stefan Terblanche Carl Stefan Terblanche (born 2 July 1975, in Mossel Bay) is a South African former rugby union player. He played wing, centre and fullback. Career Terblanche played in 37 tests for South Africa, scoring 19 tries, including a South African tes ...

(2010–11) *

Keegan Daniel Keegan Rhys Daniel (born 5 March 1985) is a South African rugby union player who last played for the in Super Rugby and in the Currie Cup and the in the Rugby Challenge. Born in the rural farming town of Humansdorp, Daniel started his e ...

(2011–13) * Bismarck du Plessis (2014–15) *

Marco Wentzel Marco Van Zyl Wentzel (born 6 May 1979 in George, Western Cape, South Africa) is a rugby union player. He plays as a lock or in the back-row. He attended Outeniqua High School in George and played for their first team from 1995 to 1997; he wa ...

(2015) *

Patrick Lambie Patrick Jonathan Lambie (born 17 October 1990) is a retired South African professional rugby union player who last played for in the French Top 14. He announced his retirement in January 2019 due to multiple concussions. Early life Lambie at ...

(2016) *

Tendai Mtawarira Tendai Mtawarira (born 1 August 1985) is a Zimbabwean-South African retired professional rugby union player who last played for Old Glory DC in Major League Rugby and previously for the South Africa national team and the in Super Rugby. He w ...

(2016) *

Tera Mtembu Lubabalo Siphosethu 'Tera' Mtembu (born 9 December 1990) is a South African rugby union footballer for the New England Free Jacks of Major League Rugby (MLR).Philip van der Walt Christoffel Philippus van der Walt (born 14 July 1989) is a South African rugby union footballer. He plays as a number eight for the Newcastle Falcons in the IPA Greene King Championship, having previously played for the in Super Rugby, in Sup ...

(2017) *

Ruan Botha Ruan Botha (born 10 January 1992) is a South African rugby union player. He plays as a lock for Kubota Spears in the Japanese Top League. He made his provincial debut on 31 March 2012 as the Golden Lions thrashed the Griffons 71–25 in Johann ...

(2018) * Louis Schreuder (2019) *

Tera Mtembu Lubabalo Siphosethu 'Tera' Mtembu (born 9 December 1990) is a South African rugby union footballer for the New England Free Jacks of Major League Rugby (MLR).Jeremy Ward (2019) *

(2020-) *

Phepsi Buthelezi Phendulani Sikhizane Hendrick "Phepsi" Buthelezi (born 30 May 1999) is a South African rugby union player who captains the in Super Rugby and the Currie Cup and the in the Rugby Challenge. He plays as a Loose forward. Club rugby Buthelez ...

(2021-) *

(2022-) *

(2022) * James Venter (2022)

Individual records

* Most matches in a career: 159 (

) * Most points in a match: 50 ( Gavin Lawless, v Highlanders, 1997) * Most points in a season: 193 (

, 2011) * Most points in a career: 746 (

) * Most tries in a match: 4 ( Gavin Lawless, v Highlanders, 1997)(

, v Chiefs, 1998) * Most tries in a season: 13 ( James Small, 1996) * Most tries in a career: 37 (

JP Pietersen Jon-Paul Roger "JP" Pietersen (born 12 July 1986 in Stellenbosch, South Africa) is a South African rugby union player for the in the Currie Cup. He generally plays fullback or wing but occasionally, he plays at outside centre. He played in 69 ...

)(

Lwazi Mvovo Lwazi Ncedo Mvovo is a South African professional rugby union player for the in Super Rugby and in the Currie Cup and the in the Rugby Challenge.Gavin Lawless, v Highlanders, 1997) * Most conversions in a season: 37 (

Curwin Bosch Curwin Dominique Bosch (born 25 June 1997) is a South African professional rugby union player for the in the United Rugby Championship and in the Currie Cup. He can play as a fly-half or a fullback. Rugby career 2010–15: Schoolboy rugby B ...

, 2021/2022) * Most conversions in a career: 118 (

) * Most penalty goals in a match: 7 ( Gavin Lawless, v NSW Waratahs, 1997)(

, v Crusaders, 2013)( Robert du Preez, v Blues, 2018) * Most penalty goals in a season: 43 (

, 2013)(

François Steyn François Philippus Lodewyk Steyn (born 14 May 1987) is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for the South Africa national team and Cheetahs (rugby union) in Pro 14. He usually plays at inside centre, fullback ...

, 2014) * Most penalty goals in a career: 166 (

) * Most drop goals in a match: 3 (

Boeta Chamberlain Henry 'Boeta' Chamberlain (born 22 February 1999) is a South African rugby union player for the in the Currie Cup and the in the Rugby Challenge His regular position is fly-half. He was also part of the sharks squad that led the 2020 Super R ...

vs Ospreys, 2021) * Most drop goals in a season: 4 (

, 2007)(

, 2021/2022) * Most drop goals in a career: 8 (

)

Honours

** Quarter-finalists (1): 2021/22 *

** Runners-up (4):

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

** Semi-finalists (4):

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

** Quarter-finalists (4):

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

** Qualifying-finalists (1):

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

** Conference Winners (1):

Minor Honours

Toyota Challenge The Toyota Challenge is a rugby union competition hosted in South Africa by the Cheetahs, a team sponsored by Toyota SA. The first tournament took place at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein between 13 November and 26 November 2021. In 2021, ...

** Runners-up (1):

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

World Club 10s World Club 10s is a rugby union tournament played under rugby tens rules, and contested by professional clubs from around the world. Top-level teams from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania, have played in the tournament since the first edition in 2 ...

** Third Place (2):

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sharks (Super Rugby Franchise) Super Rugby teams South African rugby union teams Sport in Durban Sport in KwaZulu-Natal 1995 establishments in South Africa