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 enjoy its first Currie Cup final. In the interim, the province did produce its fair share of 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. Whilst 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 the quality of 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 exciting rugby, thanks to the foresight and genius of Van Heerden. Van Heerden, who coached Natal from the late 1950s into the 1960s, was ahead of his time, fostering a brand of rugby that placed so much 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 stunning 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 were too good, 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 That 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 to seek greater fortune. Another shrewd acquisition was tireless flanker Bartmann from
Transvaal, and
1992 saw him lead Natal to a second Currie Cup triumph – this time away from home.
Francois Pienaar's powerful 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 now, 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 historic first world title, McIntosh also recruited
Frenchmen Olivier Roumat and
Thierry Lacroix to bolster what was already a highly 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 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 the 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 stunning 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, 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 a 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, inspirational 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 Many of the above-mentioned players, along with some of the stalwarts like John Smit,
Stefan Terblanche and
Jacques Botes, together with a few new recruits like
Willem Alberts and
Louis Ludik, and new talent coming through the Sharks Academy made good in
2010 as the team regained the Absa Currie Cup trophy after another successful domestic season. Having finished the pool stages of the tournament at the top of the log, they dispatched of the Blue Bulls in the semi-final and then comprehensively beat Western Province 30–10 in the final – both matches taking place in front of home crowds at
The Shark Tank. Young
Patrick Lambie was the star of the show, earning the coveted Man of the Match award with his 25 individual points' haul and he, along with Keegan Daniel,
Lwazi Mvovo, Willem Alberts and
Charl McLeod all went on to gain Springbok honours at the end of the year. The Sharks reached their third final in four years when they finished second on the login
2011, with the Lions finishing top. The Lions had not won a trophy since beating the Sharks in the 1999 Currie Cup final. Despite the odds, a fired-up Lions side emulated the feat of their predecessors of 12 years previously (the Sharks had also suffered a 12-year drought, winning in 1996 and then again in 2008) and ran out winners at a packed Ellis Park in
Johannesburg, defeating The Sharks and emerge 2011 Currie Cup champions. It was a similar scenario in
2012 when The Sharks managed, again, to reach the Currie Cup final, hosting it again as they had succeeded in 2008 and 2010. All the signs suggested that they would emulate those feats, but sadly it was Western Province who broke their own 11-year trophy drought in a tight final at Kings Park, with
Juan de Jongh dancing through the Sharks defence in the 36th minute to score what would become the match-winning try. The final score was 25–18 in favour of Western Province. However, The Sharks were not to be denied in
2013 when matters were reversed. The final pool match pitted The Sharks and Western Province against one another at Kings Park, the teams one and two on the log. The winner of that match would finish top and thus earn the right to host the final, should they get through. Western Province won 17–13 and finished top of the Currie Cup log, with the Sharks in the second position. Both teams successfully negotiated their way through the semi-finals, Western Province defeated the Golden Lions 33–16 and The Sharks victorious over Free State – 33–22. The 2013 Currie Cup final was held on 26 October 2013 at Newlands in Cape Town. The home side were overwhelming favourites having beaten the Sharks in both pool matches during the season. It was typical derby stuff; a massive clash between the two best teams in the tournament. But it appeared that The Sharks were hungrier. They hit the rucks with greater passion; they smashed Province in the tackles and took their chances to emerge worthy 33–19 victors, holding out against a late, but ultimately ineffective charge from the home side to be crowned 2013 champions – their third title and fifth final in the tournament since 2008.
Franchise History The Sharks currently field multiple teams across different levels of competition. The Sharks' participation in international club rugby began with the teams participation in the 1993 Super 10. Since then they have competed in
Super Rugby, the
United Rugby Championship,
Investec Champions Cup and
EPCR Challenge Cup, along with several other smaller tournaments. Originally, the Sharks Franchise 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 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. 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. In addition the franchise operates a Junior squads which compete 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.
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. 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. 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, but also finishing last in 2000. The turn of the millennium also saw rapid coaching turnover with long term coach
Ian McIntosh retiring, his replacement
Hugh Reece-Edwards being quickly fired after the disastrous 2000 Super 12 season, Their strongest regular season came in
2007, when – coached by
Dick Muir – 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. In
2012, 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, but coaching instability followed, with
John Plumtree and
Jake White leaving in quick succession. After a poor
2015 season, the team began to stabilize and reached four consecutive quarter-finals in
2016,
2017,
2018 and
2019. 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 in Ireland on 25 September 2021. Previously, due to
COVID-19 pandemic 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
EPCR Challenge Cup, 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. They defeated
Munster in a dramatic match that went to extra time and penalties after a 24–24 draw, setting up a semi-final with the
Bulls 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 Round of 16, where they were comprehensively beaten by eventual finalists Lyon. ==The Sharks Region==