The Sharks (known as the Hollywoodbets Sharks as they are their title sponsor) is a South African professional

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

team based in

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

. They compete 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. For sponsorship reasons the league is known as the Vodacom United Rugby Championship in ...

and are eligible to compete in either the Investec Champions Cup or

EPCR Challenge Cup The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception i ...

depending on qualification. They previously 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 has previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Super Rugby started as the S ...

competition until 2020. The team also competes in the

Currie Cup The Currie Cup () is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier domestic competition, four South African franc ...

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. To date, their best performance in the

is reaching the semi-finals in the 2024-25 URC Season and winning the South African conference shield in the same season. 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. The team - previously also competing as Natal, the Natal Sharks, and most recently, the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV has won nine

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

History

Evolution of the Sharks

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

. In 1995, the team rebranded as the Natal Sharks. 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 40% stake in the new commercial division established by union for R48 million. In 2021, MVM Holdings purchased a 51% controlling interest in the Sharks, with the remaining 49% retained by the Kwazulu-Natal Rugby Union and SuperSport.. 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

The Sharks currently field multiple teams across different levels of competition. Their top-tier professional side competes in the

, representing the franchise in international club rugby. Alongside this, the Sharks also maintain a team in the

, South Africa’s premier domestic competition. In addition, the franchise operates a Junior squad that competes in national youth tournaments. Age-group rugby within the KwaZulu-Natal province is also branded under the Sharks name, creating a unified identity across all levels of the player development pathway. The Sharks' participation in international club rugby began with the teams participation in the 1993 Super 10. Since then they have competed in

, the

, Investec Champions Cup and

, along with several other smaller tournaments.

Super Rugby

The Sharks first competed in Super Rugby in 1993 when it was called the Super 10. That year they finished second in their pool. In 1994, they topped their group and reached the final, losing to

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

. They did not compete in 1995. The team joined the inaugural Super 12 in 1996, finishing fourth and progressing to the final, where they lost to

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

. Branded as the Coastal Sharks from 1998, the team experienced mixed success, reaching the semi-finals that year and the final in 2001 where they were comprehensively beaten by the

Brumbies The ACT Brumbies (known from 2005 to 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 feral horses which inh ...

, but also finishing last in 2000.. The turn of the millennium also saw rapid coaching turnover with long term coach

Ian McIntosh Ian McIntosh (24 September 1938 – 5 April 2023) was a Zimbabwean–South African rugby union coach. He served as head coach for the Springboks during 1993 and 1994. McIntosh grew up near Bulawayo in Matabeleland, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbab ...

retiring, his replacement

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 ...

being quickly fired after the disastrous 2000 Super 12 season, and

Rudolph Straeuli Rudolf August Wilkens Straeuli (born 20 August 1963) is a South African rugby union administrator, and a former player and coach. He is currently the CEO of the Lions Rugby Company. He played in the positions of flanker and Number 8, making 1 ...

taking over. Their strongest regular season came in

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, when - coached by

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 helpi ...

- they topped the Super 14 table and became the first South African side to host a final, narrowly losing to the Bulls after a last-minute try by Bryan Habana. Skrum

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, the Sharks made a dramatic playoff run, traveling over 55,000 km to win knockout matches in Australia and South Africa before falling to the Chiefs in the final. They won the South African Conference in

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, but coaching instability followed, with John Plumtree and

Jake White Jacob Charles 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 ...

leaving in quick succession. After a poor

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

season, the team began to stabilize and reached four consecutive quarter-finals in

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

and

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

. The Sharks led the 2020 Super Rugby season before it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As international travel restrictions took effect, the Sharks competed in domestic and regional tournaments such as Super Rugby Unlocked, finishing third. In 2021, it was announced that South African franchises would leave Super Rugby to join the newly structured United Rugby Championship (URC).

United Rugby Championship and EPCR

The Sharks entered the United Rugby Championship in the 2021–2022 season and played their first official URC game against

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

in Ireland on 25 September 2021. Previously, due to

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

effecting international travel the Sharks participated in the Pro14 Rainbow Cup, marking their first appearance in European rugby competitions. The South African sides competed in the 'Rainbow Cup SA', finishing second. Their 2021–22 was a strong campaign, finishing 5th in the regular season standings. They were narrowly eliminated in the quarter-finals by the Bulls, who secured victory with a drop goal in added time. Despite the loss, the season was considered a moderate success, especially as the Sharks secured qualification for the Champions Cup for the first time. The 2022–2023 season was more mixed. Domestically, the Sharks finished 8th and were comfortably beaten by Leinster in the URC quarter-finals. Poor early season form lead to the dismissal of head coach Sean Everitt, with Director of Rugby Neil Powell stepping in for the remainder of the season. Although an 8th-place finish would ordinarily ensure Champions Cup qualification, URC regulations give automatic qualification to each of the four regional shield winners. Cardiff, winners of the Welsh Shield despite finishing below the Sharks on the overall table, claimed the final Champions Cup spot. As a result, the Sharks were relegated to the EPCR Challenge Cup for the following season. In their inaugural Champions Cup campaign, however, the Sharks performed well—finishing third in Pool A after winning three out of four pool matches. They defeated Munster comfortably in the Round of 16 before a heavy quarter-final defeat to Toulouse. The 2023–2024 season marked a downturn in domestic form. The season began with John Plumtree being appointed as Head Coach. The Sharks finished 14th in the URC with just four wins. With URC hopes fading, the team shifted its focus to the

, where they ultimately found success—defeating Gloucester in the final to secure their first European title. The win granted them automatic qualification for the 2024–2025 Champions Cup. In that season, the Sharks rebounded in the URC, finishing 3rd and hosting a quarter-final in Durban. They defeated

in a dramatic match that went to extra time and penalties after a 24–24 draw, setting up a semi-final with the

Bulls (rugby union) The Bulls (known for sponsorship reasons as the Vodacom Bulls) are a South African people, South African professional rugby union team based in Pretoria. They play their home matches at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Loftus Versfeld. They compete i ...

at Loftus, which they lost 25-13. However, their European campaign was less successful: they won only one of four Champions Cup pool games and were demoted to the

Challenge Cup The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's old ...

Round of 16, where they were comprehensively beaten by eventual finalists Lyon.

Team identity

The team was originally known as Natal, representing the province of the same name, and was informally nicknamed the Banana Boys or '—a nod to the region's subtropical agriculture and perceived underdog status. In 1995, the team underwent a major rebranding and adopted the name The Sharks, accompanied by a new logo, mascot (Sharkie), and a coordinated marketing campaign. Although initially met with resistance from traditionalists, the new identity quickly gained traction due to strong team performances and a high-profile branding rollout. The shift resulted in noticeable growth in attendance, merchandise sales, and corporate engagement. As the team began competing in Super Rugby in 1998, it used the name Coastal Sharks to reflect a temporary partnership with Eastern Cape unions. However, "The Sharks" remained the central brand in public and commercial use. Following the end of this regional partnership in 2005, the team’s brand identity consolidated entirely under the KwaZulu-Natal banner. In 2022, the franchise refreshed its visual identity by updating the logo and introducing a new slogan. The revised logo now incorporates the word Durban, aligning the brand more directly with the team's home city. In 2024, the franchise introduced the designation "Sharks XV" for its Currie Cup team. While the side continues to operate under the broader Sharks umbrella, this naming convention was viewed as an effort to standardize branding across all levels of competition and mirror similar changes made by other South African franchises.

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

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 ...

Current squad

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

Notable players

The side includes many Springbok players, including Aphelele Fassi, Ox Nche,

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

, Lukhanyo Am, Grant Williams, Bongi Mbonambi, most capped Springbok

Eben Etzebeth Eben Etzebeth (born 29 October 1991) is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for the Sharks in the United Rugby Championship and the South Africa national rugby team. He made his international debut for the Sprin ...

and double

Rugby World Cup The Men's Rugby World Cup is a rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams, the winners of which are recognised as the World championship, world champions of the sport. The tournament is administer ...

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

History

The Sharks were coached by Former Springbok coach

between 1996 and 1999, with

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

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

Rudolf Straeuli Rudolf August Wilkens Straeuli (born 20 August 1963) is a South African rugby union administrator, and a former player and coach. He is currently the CEO of the Lions Rugby Company. He played in the positions of flanker and Number 8, making 1 ...

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.

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 Sir Clive Ronald Woodward (born 6 January 1956) is an English former rugby union player and coach (sport), 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 Britis ...

. 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 Brendan Venter (born 29 December 1969) is a South African rugby union coach and former player. Venter played at Centre (rugby union), centre and earned 17 caps for South Africa national rugby union team, South Africa between 1994 and 1999. He p ...

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 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, 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 Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

. 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 Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. 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. 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.

Head coaches

First team coaching staff

Captains

* Gary Teichmann (1996–99) * Wayne Fyvie (2000) * Mark Andrews (2001–02) * Shaun Sowerby (2003) * John Smit (2004–11) * Johann Muller (2008–10) * Stefan Terblanche (2010–11) * Keegan Daniel (2011–13) * Bismarck du Plessis (2014–15) * Marco Wentzel (2015) * Patrick Lambie (2016) * Tendai Mtawarira (2016) * Tera Mtembu (2017) * Philip van der Walt (2017) * Ruan Botha (2018) * Louis Schreuder (2019) * Tera Mtembu (2019) * Jeremy Ward (2019) * Lukhanyo Am (2020-) * Phepsi Buthelezi (2021-) * Siya Kolisi (2022–23) * Thomas du Toit (2022) * James Venter (2022) * Reniel Hugo (2023–24) * Francois Venter (2023–24) * Bongi Mbonambi (2024) *

(2024-) * Vincent Tshituka (2024)

Former players

Individual records

* Most matches in a career: 159 ( Tendai Mtawarira) * Most points in a match: 50 ( Gavin Lawless, v Highlanders, 1997) * Most points in a season: 193 ( Patrick Lambie, 2011) * Most points in a career: 872 ( Curwin Bosch) * Most tries in a match: 4 ( Gavin Lawless, v Highlanders, 1997)( Stefan Terblanche, v Chiefs, 1998) * Most tries in a season: 13 ( James Small, 1996) * Most tries in a career: 40 (

) * Most conversions in a match: 9 ( Gavin Lawless, v Highlanders, 1997) * Most conversions in a season: 41 ( Curwin Bosch, 2022/2023) * Most conversions in a career: 179 ( Curwin Bosch) * Most penalty goals in a match: 7 ( Gavin Lawless, v NSW Waratahs, 1997)( Patrick Lambie, v Crusaders, 2013)( Robert du Preez, v Blues, 2018) * Most penalty goals in a season: 43 ( Patrick Lambie, 2013)( François Steyn, 2014) * Most penalty goals in a career: 166 ( Patrick Lambie) * Most drop goals in a match: 3 ( Boeta Chamberlain vs Ospreys, 2021) * Most drop goals in a season: 4 ( François Steyn, 2007)( Boeta Chamberlain, 2021/2022) * Most drop goals in a career: 8 ( François Steyn)

Honours

References

Bibliography

* * Stat source: https://all.rugby

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sharks (Super Rugby Franchise) Super Rugby teams Rugby union teams in South Africa Sports clubs and teams in Durban 1995 establishments in South Africa United Rugby Championship teams Rugby clubs established in 1995