The Sharks have historically been South Africa’s second best team in Super Rugby stretching back to their inaugural 1996 season.
They have competed in nine play-off games in their history including the 2007 final that they hosted and are clear favourites to top the South African conference in 2015.
Their home stadium, Growthpoint Kings Park, more commonly known as “The Shark Tank” in South Africa is situated in the coastal city of Durban in the Kwa-Zulu Natal province.
The impressive Durban stadium seats a total of 52,000 and boasts the second best average attendances in South Africa since 1996 to 2014. Their average stands at 37,888 spectators per game during this period.
The Natal Sharks also compete in the ABSA Currie Cup and stack up as the fourth best team in the history of the competition by virtue of their seven premiership titles.
They are only outmatched by the 10 titles of the Golden Lions, the 23 titles of the Blue Bulls and the 33 titles of Western Province.
They are also historically the most consistent South African side in Super Rugby having appeared in nine play-off games, one game more than the Bulls and four games more than the Stormers.
Despite their consistency however they have suffered the same fate as the Stormers and have never won the title despite their best efforts.
Their 2014 season was rather impressive overall, having appeared in both the Super Rugby and Currie Cup play-offs.
The Super Rugby season under Jake White saw them finish third on the overall log having won 12 games and losing just six – one of those wins being the legendary 13-man performance that shut down the Crusaders at Christchurch.
Unfortunately they couldn’t reproduce those efforts in the semi-final and ended up with an embarrassing loss.
The Natal Sharks did well in the Currie Cup as well by winning seven of their league games, drawing one and losing two. This saw them feature in the Currie Cup semi-final against the second placed Golden Lions in Johannesburg.
The game started at a good pace with the Lions and Sharks trading blows during the first 20 minutes. After this, however, it became a day the Natal Sharks would want to forget as an impressive Lions resurgence saw the men from Gauteng dish up the Natal Sharks’ biggest ever loss in a play-off game – losing the game 50-20.
After the Sharks’ disappointing loss to the Crusaders, director of rugby and head coach Jake White announced that he would be leaving the franchise due to family reasons.
It was later mentioned that White had alienated several players during his tenure and that it had caused dispute among the team.
The biggest example being his influence in moving junior Springbok centre Andre Esterhuizen to blindside flanker in the age group teams.
Esterhuizen, an enormous unit at 194cm and around 108kg, had the attributes to be flanker but refused to convert stating that he is either a centre or a fullback and that if he was to be forced into the forwards at the Sharks, he would sign a long term contract with Western Province.
During the closing of the 2014 rugby season it was revealed that former Springboks assistant coach Gary Gold had signed a contract with the Sharks as head coach for the following three years.
Successful 2013 mastermind Brendan Venter was also reinstated as director of rugby in White’s place. The combination of Gold and Venter looks set to be the best coaching staff of all the South African Super Rugby sides.
2015 season preview
The Sharks open their campaign with a balanced two home games and two away games. Their opening games will be against the Cheetahs followed by the Lions at Growthpoint Kings Park. After that they will travel to Loftus Versfeld to face the Bulls and then to DHL Newlands to tackle the Stormers.
The Cheetahs game should open their account with a win (and quite possibly a bonus point) seeing that the Cheetahs are a very young, depleted team.
After that I expect them to exact revenge for the humiliation suffered against the Lions the last time the teams met.
The Sharks will dominate up front with a pack that’s almost a 100kg heavier than their feline counterparts. Their speed out wide will also outdo the Lions.
Their toughest game of the opening rounds comes against the Bulls at Loftus. The Sharks have had a very tough time winning in Pretoria, however their pack should be enough to push the side to a win away from home.
The Stormers game is just too hard to call. For the past five years the Sharks and Stormers have found each other’s venues to be more beneficial than their own. In 2012 the Stormers beat them at Kings Park but lost at Newlands.
The Sharks won’t find the second round of games easy in any stretch of the imagination. Strangely enough when you look at their entire schedule you would see that their tour of Australia might not be all that bad, but the following three games after the Stormers will certainly be different.
They face the Cheetahs and two time champion Chiefs first up at Growthpoint Kings Park in the first of three home games against Australasian opposition. After that it will be a bit of a breather against the Western Force before they face the personification of dread in the Crusaders.
As in Round 1 they will beat the Cheetahs. The Chiefs have been a great team since 2012 and will be every bit as good in 2015 as they have been in that time.
The return of Sonny Bill Williams will change the whole dynamic of this game coupled with the fact that All Black stars like Aaron Cruden, Brodie Retallick and Liam Messam accompany him.
It will be a tough battle but I see this as a first loss for the Durbanites. The Force are a bit of a let off, no disrespect intended, and will provide the Sharks with a perfect preparation for the big one against the Crusaders.
The Crusaders have the ability to find weak links in any team and have the physicality to challenge the Sharks. Loss number two in my view giving them six wins from eight.
After this they will face the Lions at Ellis Park and the Bulls back at home. I see no reason why the return results will differ and if I am right that will give the Sharks a very handy eight wins from ten scenario.
Let’s hope they don’t screw up that opportunity like last year. That will also signal their very first bye of the season and a late overseas departure.
Their four games on tour, like with the Bulls will shape their destiny.
Should they win even just two of those games they will find themselves in an even stronger position than last year with a legitimate shot at first place.
They face the Highlanders first in Dunedin before travelling to the Hurricanes who have endless potential in Wellington. The trip to Australia will be a tough one. The first game will be against the champion Waratahs followed by an exciting encounter with the Reds at Suncorp.
With two wins being absolutely necessary for a home final I see them beating the Highlanders and Hurricanes first up and losing their stride against the Waratahs and Reds.
Both the Highlanders and the ‘Canes should never be taken lightly but I believe that the Sharks will have the confidence and the players to win. If the Tahs manage to emulate their form of 2014 then they will be near impossible to beat while the Reds look set to be on their way to something special.
After the tour they will have a game against the Rebels as their second last home game followed by a poor placed bye and then an end fixture against the Stormers for their last game in Durban.
I expect the Sharks to beat the Rebels convincingly only to lose their second bout against the Stormers. This leaves them with a realistic eleven wins from sixteen.
Overall the draw is good with a balanced start, a reasonable middle and a difficult end. They should do well against their South African compatriots with only the Bulls and Stormers really being able to sneak one up against them.
The Sharks can and really should end up on top of the South African conference – they have a good draw, Springboks galore and the best coaches in the country.
They have claimed that they will also be playing attacking rugby this year and that they aim to please their supporters and draw back the crowd to their stadium.
It seems that the Sharks might be South Africa’s only hope for a title in 2015.
My Sharks starting VX for 2015:
1. Tendai Mtawarira (186cm, 116kg)
2. Bismarck du Plessis (189cm, 114kg)
3. Lourens Adriaanse (180cm, 115kg)
4. Stephan Lewies (200cm, 110kg)
5. Pieter-Steph du Toit (201cm, 115kg)
6. Marcell Coetzee (191cm, 109kg)
7. Willem Alberts (193cm, 120kg)
8. Ryan Kankowski (195cm, 108kg)
9. Cobus Reinach (175cm, 78kg)
10. Patrick Lambie (177cm, 87kg)
11. Lwazi Mvovo (180cm, 90kg)
12. Francois Steyn (191cm, 110kg)
13. Andre Esterhuizen (194cm, 108kg)
14. Tonderai Chavhanga (185cm, 85kg)
15. SP Marais (185cm, 87kg)
Harry Jones
Expert
Young squad this year. Lot of speed. Looking forward to Ruan Botha challenging for higher honours.
Jacques
Guest
"My Sharks starting VX for 2015: 1. Tendai Mtawarira (186cm, 116kg) 2. Bismarck du Plessis (189cm, 114kg) 3. Lourens Adriaanse (180cm, 115kg) 4. Stephan Lewies (200cm, 110kg) 5. Pieter-Steph du Toit (201cm, 115kg) 6. Marcell Coetzee (191cm, 109kg) 7. Willem Alberts (193cm, 120kg) 8. Ryan Kankowski (195cm, 108kg) 9. Cobus Reinach (175cm, 78kg) 10. Patrick Lambie (177cm, 87kg) 11. Lwazi Mvovo (180cm, 90kg) 12. Francois Steyn (191cm, 110kg) 13. Andre Esterhuizen (194cm, 108kg) 14. Tonderai Chavhanga (185cm, 85kg) 15. SP Marais (185cm, 87kg)" No way that I would play Tonderai over JP Pietersen. Also, Lewies is out with a longterm injury, but Mouritz Botha is back from England to take his place.
Thunderguts
Guest
Look forward to reading your article so as to gain a better understanding of Rugby politics before I visit RSA in November on my way home from RWC. If the Boks have been vanquished at RWC I only hope I am not on the same plane. Completely understand your position BB.For me supporting any other team than the AB would be like disowning your parents.
RobC
Roar Guru
I hope they do, AvZ. Though importantly, I hope they align with HM
RobC
Roar Guru
But there are indeed pirates. Melaka straights, Somalia. Fortunately far from Frank Steyn :) Yes, there's more to game win/loss than the 10. re losses. FS lost two (of 8). Same as Lambie (of 4) and Sweil (of 3): - away vs Brumbies - home vs Stormers - Sweil another good now playing well and winning games for Quinns I guess I was just highlighting FS a v good flyhalf, though I suspect more compatible w/Jake ball
Armand van Zyl
Roar Guru
Indeed so Thunderguts. As Biltongbek stated I also won't ever abandon the Boks and then take up another team as my heart and soul. I for one have no problem with any person supporting a team outside their country. I don't understand it, I truly don't, but I won't judge them because of it. They have their reasons and it is their right. What I don't condone however is the abuse that some supporters show teams. I intend to write a balanced, unbiased article about the "Cape Crusaders" this year because it's such a delicate subject. But I need more research before I compile it. It's going to be the article that I have put the most effort to. But that's for another day.
If I ever stop supporting the Springboks, I simply won't support another team. To me that is treason.
Thunderguts
Guest
Many thanks Armand for the detailed response. I guess that for we diehard fans it is difficult to understand why you would not support your national team given they are ranked number 2 in the world and one of the favorites for RWC 15 but as you pointed out there is alot more to this issue than meets the eye
Armand van Zyl
Roar Guru
I'm afraid that things will get worse. Soon there will be a major shift in support in South Africa. The quota system has already begun to alienate a few Caucasian supporters. And even without that All Black support is growing fast here in South Africa in all races.
Armand van Zyl
Roar Guru
God, I would just love that!
Armand van Zyl
Roar Guru
Just sounds fancy I guess.
Armand van Zyl
Roar Guru
Thunderguts, sorry for the late reply. Uhm that's a toughie to explain since there are so many reasons. Some are political, some are just preference and some are just spitefulness. I'll begin with the one I don't want to talk about and that is politics. Some Africans and Capetonians still see the Springboks as a symbol for "white supremacy". The team is predominantly Caucasian and they feel hard done by the management in terms of their race. Some of them are just glory hunters. Pay attention to Cape Town in general. Lots of people there support teams that win and that's that and they don't feel bad about switching teams in accordance to who wins. Look at how many Crusaders and All Blacks support there is in Cape Town when the Stormers or Springboks play there. In 2013 half of the stadium were Crusaders fans but when the Hurricanes played the Stormers it was a full house of blue jerseys. In 2012 and 2013 you saw lots of Chiefs jerseys running around and last year Waratahs jerseys stormed the place. But don't think that it's only Africans and Capetonians who do this. I know loads of Caucasians who side with the All Blacks simply because they're fed up with the way that the Springboks play. We want to see good rugby and some people think the Springboks just won't give that. And lastly you must understand that contrary to popular belief lots of South Africans really do like the All Blacks, lots of Saffas even support the All Blacks against every other team except the Boks. I am one of those. There is a great respect for you New Zealanders in this country. Of course there are thousands of supporters who hate the All Blacks just like there are plenty of you who hate the Boks. I can remember after Australia knocked us out in 2011, South Africans by the millions supported the All Blacks in the semis and final. You can't narrow it down but those are the best examples I can give
Armand van Zyl
Roar Guru
South Africa NEED the Sharks, Bulls and Stormers to lift this season RobC.
Armand van Zyl
Roar Guru
I meant no disrespect to the Force. It's just that it's in Durban.
Armand van Zyl
Roar Guru
I don't really rate Jordaan, Neville. A little over hyped in my opinion but that's understandable since South Africa don't really possess any remarkable outside centres. So he's remarkable in a very unremarkable bunch. In my opinion anyway. I personally fear for the outside centre position in South Africa because neither one strikes me as a player in the class of Smith, Kuridrani or even Davies from Wales. Dark times for us all. As for pace I think you will find that I took a bit of a gamble here. I didn't go for size as a first even though both are enormous units. They say Steyn has lost 10kg's in Japan and is in the best physical condition he has ever been. If that is true he will have speed. As for Andre Esterhuizen you would be surprised how fast he is for his size. I've seen him play many times as we were both in Klerksdorp High School, in the same homeroom class and he was with me in PT classes. His "bleep test" results in our matric year was the best in the school. He also partook in our region's "Inter week" which saw KHS, Schoonspruit, Wesvalia and Potchefstroom Gimnasium competing in various athletics. He ran the 100m in 11.82 if I'm not mistaken in 2012. That was on a track so on a rugby field it would be a little slower due to the grass and boots. So maybe around 12. Sufficient speed. Not Lomu who was 10.88 which is just astounding but 11-12 seconds is about average speed for all centres. In saying that though I would also consider S'bura Sitholi above Jordaan. Just my taste.
Armand van Zyl
Roar Guru
Stormers up next Harry. Then you and I can have a grand old discussion about our team!
44bottles
Roar Guru
The number of pirates has been decreasing since the 1700s. The amount of pollution in the atmosphere has been increasing since then. Pirates prevent global warming! ;) Just jesting but I think there is more to it than wins with Steyn at 10. They lost a fair few with Steyn at 10 as well. There is also the fact that he just can't control the backline well. Amazing kicking, good defence and can truck it up if necessary but he just stifles the backline play. He is good as a 2nd option but it doesn't work if he's the only playmaker.
44bottles
Roar Guru
Wait! The Force have been reading all my comments on The Roar????!?!!?
Thunderguts
Guest
Thanks for that Mr. G it certainly a bigger issue than I had imagined and seems to be directed at both the Crusaders and the All Blacks. The opinion piece in the Argus from a South African AB supporter showed that they hold very strong views on how they should be treated. Surprised that Biltongbek is not aware and claims it is only South Africans living outside RSA who are supporting the AB. Lets hope for the sake of Rugby that it does not escalate any further.
Simonsky
Guest
Hi AvZ, Nice article. But why do you feel it's necessary to put sponsors' names to stadiums? Sharks play at Kings Park, Stormers at Newlands... Sponsors come and go every few years, show no loyalty to the teams.