Your Sharks take on the Hollywoodbets Sharks on Saturday in round three of the 2025/26 Investec Champions Cup….but who are our star-studded visitors? Read on to find out more…
Who are the Sharks?
The Sharks are a South African rugby side from the KwaZulu Natal region of the country.
Their history dates back to the formation of the Natal Rugby Union in 1890, although the Sharks franchise was created in 1995 with the dawn of professionalism.
Natal were a powerhouse of South African rugby domestically and also competed against a number of touring club and international sides from all over the world.
The Sharks were a Super Rugby team from the tournament’s creation (as Super 12) in 1996 until 2021, when due to a variety of factors including the COVID 19 pandemic, the South African sides withdrew from Super Rugby and joined the United Rugby Championship (URC).
Despite never winning Super Rugby, they did reach the final on four occasions, most recently in 2012.
The Sharks enjoyed a reasonably successful start to their time in ‘European’ rugby, as quarter-finalists in their opening two league seasons but last season they struggled, finishing 5th in their Champions Cup pool and dropping into the Challenge Cup where they lost to Lyon in the last 16.
Their current squad contains several giants of the world game and multiple Rugby World Cup winners such as Eben Etzebeth, Lukanyo Am, Ox Nche and Siya Kolisi. But despite their star-studded line-up, they have struggled this season, winning just two of their eight games in the URC leaving them in 14th place in the table.
Former players include several South African legends such as John Smit, Bismark du Plessis and Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira.
Interim Head Coach: JP Pietersen
Sharks and Springbok legend JP Pietersen took over as interim Head Coach in December 2025 after the departure of John Plumtree. As a player, Pietersen represented South Africa 69 times and was part of the Springboks squad that won the World Cup in 2007.
At club level, Pietersen began and ended his career with the Sharks, but in between enjoyed spells at the Panasonic Wild Knights, Leicester Tigers and Toulon, in France’s Top14.
One to watch: Grant Williams
Having arrived in Durban from the Cape, where he was educated at the famous Paarl Gymnasium, in 2017, speedy scrum-half Grant Williams represented College Rovers in club rugby, and the following year found himself thrust into the Super Rugby cauldron, when he was required to replace the injured Louis Schreuder for the Cell C Sharks in a game against the Lions.
He has gone on to make 75 appearances for the Sharks, scoring 37 tries, including 47 URC outings where his pace and sniping game have consistently lifted the side.
At Test level, he has earned 28 Springbok caps and scored 10 tries (three coming at the 2023 Rugby World Cup) and featured prominently in the Rugby Championship and the recent Autumn Nations Series.
