The Sharks (known as the Hollywoodbets Sharks for sponsorship reasons) 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 Sharks XV.
The team previously also competed as Natal, the Natal Sharks, and most recently the Sharks XV. The Sharks as Natal reached the Super 10 final in 1994, as well as the finals of Super Rugby 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 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. 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 is the fourth most successful provincial union in the Currie Cup, having won the competition nine times. Natal won its first Currie Cup in 1990, the same year the union celebrated its centenary. Since then the Sharks have won the Currie Cup in 1992, 1995, 1996, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2018 and most recently in 2024.
KwaZulu-Natal Rugby are a minority owner of the Sharks franchise, while MVM Holdings are the majority owners with 51% of the voting rights.
The Sharks play their home matches at the Kings Park Stadium in Durban, while also utilizing other local stadiums such as Woodburn Stadium in Petermaritzburg or Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in Clermont.
History Early history The Natal Rugby Union, renamed the KwaZulu-Natal Rugby Union (KZNRU) in 1999 was formed in 1890, but it took 66 years for the union to reach its first Currie Cup final. In the interim, the province produced quality players including Springboks Bill Payn, Wally Clarkson and Philip Nel, who led South Africa on the country's unbeaten tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1937. While the 1920s and 30s saw Natal improve from one of the weakest unions in the Currie Cup to becoming a more competitive mid-table team, the team still struggled against quality sides such as Western Province and Transvaal.
1920–1990: The years of pain Natal did not enjoy any success prior to the 1960s, although legendary coach Izak van Heerden did manage to fashion two unbeaten seasons in '61 and '63, when the Currie Cup competition was not held. The 1956 final saw Natal up against Northern Transvaal and even though it was contested at Kingsmead in Durban, 9–8 was the score in favour of the men from Pretoria. With so many Springbok test matches in the early 1960s, the Currie Cup was contested only four times in that decade. Natal failed to make an impression, despite being able to call on the likes of Springboks Ormond Taylor and Keith Oxlee. But the province did succeed in building its own unique style of rugby, thanks to the coaching by Van Heerden. Van Heerden, who coached Natal from the late 1950s into the 1960s, fostered a brand of rugby that placed emphasis on ball retention and the interplay of forwards and backs to produce try-scoring opportunities. Nonetheless, Natal saw very little success in the 1970s, until the arrival of Wynand Claassen from Pretoria in late 1979. What followed was a rare third-place finish in the Currie Cup in 1980, with Claassen receiving inspirational support from Welshman Roger Gardner and former Wallaby Mark Loane. The standout result was a 22–19 defeat of Northern Transvaal – Natal's first win over Northern's at Loftus Versfeld in 41 years. Northern Transvaal went on to win the Currie Cup again that year, but Natal was the only side to get the better of them.
1981–1985: Relegation to Section B During the 80s, Natal could call on players of the calibre of Gawie Visagie, Henry Coxwell, Rob Hankinson and Mort Mortassagne, but relegation to the B-Section followed in '81. The side made up for this in 1984 by qualifying for the Currie Cup final, despite plying their trade in the B-Section. That was after a semi-final victory over Free State, thanks to two tries from Des McLean and one each from Derek la Marque and Claassen. The "Banana Boys" gave a good account of themselves in the 1984 final, but Western Province ended up winning 19–9 at Newlands in Cape Town. For much of the 1980s, Natal was written off as a B-Section team punching above their weight. It was not until the arrival of legendary coach Ian McIntosh from Zimbabwe and the return to the A-Section in 1987 that they started to lay the foundations for success in the 1990s.
1986–1990: Return to Section A and first Currie Cup title After arriving in 1986, McIntosh quickly made his mark in Durban and spent the late 1980s building a squad and recruiting players he felt would serve the greater good of Natal Rugby. That culminated in a dream 1990 Currie Cup season, which saw Natal sweep aside just about all before them, with only a heavy round-robin defeat to Northern Transvaal playing on their minds as they traveled north to face the same opponents in the final. Despite Natal's great season, the men from Pretoria were heavily favoured to win, particularly in front of a partisan home crowd that had become accustomed to Currie Cup success. And with match-winning flyhalf Naas Botha at the helm, it was widely accepted that the Blue Bulls just had to show up to win. But, in one of the biggest upsets in the history of the competition, McIntosh's side turned the tables and edged out their more-fancied opponents 18–12, after a match-winning try from flying winger Tony Watson. The victorious side was captained by scrumhalf Craig Jamieson, who led the team on a ticker-tape parade through central Durban later in the week. The victory was especially poignant for being both Natal's first, and for occurring in the union's centenary year. Players from that history-making team included fullback Hugh Reece-Edwards and centres Dick Muir and Jeremy Thomson. But the hard work was done upfront by Gerhard Harding, Tom Lawton and Guy Kebble in the front row, backed up by the lock pairing of Andre Botha and Rudi Visagie, flank Wahl Bartmann and eighth man Andrew Aitken. McIntosh produced a masterstroke by naming regular lock Steve Atherton on the flank just minutes before kick-off. It resulted in what was arguably Natal's heaviest-ever scrum and laid the platform for the Durban side to put the required pressure on Blue Bulls scrumhalf Robert du Preez and Botha.
1990–1999: Team of the Decade and the rise of the Sharks Their 1990 victory was the catalyst for further Currie Cup success, as McIntosh set about ensuring continuity that culminated in Natal being labelled the "team of the ‘90s" a decade later. During this time, the province also recruited wisely, with the likes of Du Preez, fullback Andre Joubert, flyhalf Henry Honiball, centre Pieter Muller, and prop Ollie le Roux, all making the trip to Durban. Another acquisition was flanker Bartmann from Transvaal, and 1992 saw him lead Natal to a second Currie Cup triumph – this time away from home. Francois Pienaar's Transvaal unit were defeated 14–13 in the final at Ellis Park. A 21–15 Currie Cup final defeat to the same opponents followed in 1993 – a loss that was made all the more difficult because it took place in front of an expectant home crowd at Kings Park, but the newly branded Sharks were back in the winner's circle just two years later. By then, players such as locks Mark Andrews and Atherton, hooker John Allan, eighth man Gary Teichmann, prop Adrian Garvey, wing Cabous van der Westhuizen, and scrumhalf Kevin Putt were all household names, and either current, or future Springbok stars. Making the most of a memorable World Cup year which saw the Springboks claim a first world title, McIntosh also recruited Frenchmen Olivier Roumat and Thierry Lacroix to bolster what was already a talented squad. It proved a masterstroke, with the big lock and flyhalf playing important roles in the 1995 final victory over Western Province in Durban. The final score was 25–17, with the Sharks being able to celebrate a third Currie Cup success in six years, with the likes of legendary fullback Joubert now entering their prime, along with a new crop of Sharks heroes in the form of flank Wayne Fyvie, and prop Robbi Kempson. Further success followed in 1996, with Natal securing their first back-to-back Currie Cup titles. Such was their dominance in that year that McIntosh's side was able to travel away to Ellis Park, and convincingly beat Transvaal 33–15, with Joubert grabbing the man-of-the-match award with a two-try performance. It was surprising then that the team from Durban had to wait until 1999 to contest another final, with the likes of Western Province, the Free State Cheetahs, and the Northern Transvaal once again coming into their own, towards the end of the 1990s, but it was Transvaal, now renamed the Golden Lions, that would cause Natal Currie Cup heartache, as they pitched up in Durban, and handed the four-time champions a 32–9 hiding in the 1999 final, with Lions fullback Thinus Delport scoring twice in the match-winning performance. Despite the best efforts of their rising star, under-21 flyhallf Cobus Gomes, who kicked 3 penalties. and scored what was arguably the try of the season, only to have it reversed due to ill-discipline in the scrum prior to the line break, that signaled the end of an era, with McIntosh, the captain Teichmann, Honiball and Joubert, all announcing their retirements.
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 now known as the Sharks XV too keep that distinction.
2000s: Growing International Influence With Rudolf Straeuli now at the helm and future Springbok captain John Smit at the forefront of a Sharks revival, they were able to overcome those huge losses and qualify for the 2000 final. But Western Province was too strong at Kings Park in Durban, as The Sharks went down by 25 points to 15. It was a case of deja vu just 12 months later, but this time at Newlands in Cape Town. The score was 29–24 on that occasion, as Western Province enjoyed a period of dominance over their coastal rivals from Durban. The Sharks bounced back to feature in the 2003 final, but a heavy 40–19 Currie Cup final defeat to the Blue Bulls in Pretoria followed and that was to signal the start of a barren period for the province. It was not until 2008, with New Zealander John Plumtree in charge, that The Sharks were able to break the curse and once again claim Currie Cup glory. Northern Transvaal, by now renamed the Blue Bulls, were their opponents in the final, and this time the Kings Park faithful were treated to a gutsy Sharks performance that culminated in an edgy 14–9 victory. It was the fifth Currie Cup title, and like the 1995 final, a French connection in the guise of Frédéric Michalak would again be involved for The Sharks and, with quality young players such as Ruan Pienaar, Rory Kockott, Beast Mtawarira, JP Pietersen, Bismarck du Plessis, Keegan Daniel and Ryan Kankowski in their ranks, the portents for success are clearly present.
2010s: Becoming a Force to be Reckoned with