The Sharks are sitting pretty on top of the Super Rugby standings after seven rounds of the competition. During pre-season, not many would have predicted this would be the case but the Durbanites have come good thanks to players stepping up and producing beyond expectations.
Mike Greenaway looks at five Sharks who have punched above their weight.
1. Andre Esterhuizen
This serious slab of meat from Klerksdorp had a quiet start to Super Rugby, but when he was made captain for the third-round match against the Hurricanes (Lukhanyo Am was rested) he exploded into combative life. Almost two metres tall and 115kg, the burly centre has been thunderous in contact with ball in hand and has smashed opposition ball carriers when on defence. But the 25-year-old Springbok has also evolved his game beyond being a battering ram - three seasons in Japan has taught him to offload and he has created line-breaks for his teammates with his ability to get the pass away in the tackle.
2. James Venter
The 23-year-old openside flank was specifically recruited from the Lions to suit the style of play the Sharks envisaged under new coach Sean Everitt. Under recent previous coaches, the idea of a fetcher was kicked into touch in favour of a loose trio of muscular ball carriers and defenders. But Everitt sees the game differently and will always have an out-and-out opensider in his teams. Venter has come to the party for Everitt, and then some.
James Venter is flourishing at the Sharks. Photo: Gerhard Duraan/BackpagePix
3. Sikhumbuzo Notshe
Like Venter, coach Everitt and chief financial officer Eduard Coetzee head-hunted Notshe from the Stormers with their game plan for Super Rugby in mind. Notsh’s skill set is perfectly suited to the counter-attacking game the Sharks play under Everitt, with his ability to slickly link backs and forwards coming to the fore.
Sikumbuzo Notshe is excelling at the Sharks. Photo: Gerhard Duraan/BackpagePix
4. Ruben van Heerden
When the Sharks lost a number of forwards after Super Rugby 2019, including the imposing lock Ruan Botha, there was a need for the up-and-coming locks to step up this year. Hyron Andrews in the No 5 role has punched above his weight, but it was in the crucial No 4 “enforcer” role that the Sharks needed Van Heerden to realise his potential. The former Affies pupil had an ideal pedigree - SA Schools in 2015 and SA Under-20 (2017) before he joined the Sharks and this season the 22-year-old has matured nicely for the Sharks.
5. Ox Nche
The departure of Tendai Mtawarira left big boots to fill for the Sharks at loosehead prop. They looked to the Cheetahs and Nche to do the job, and he is rapidly filling the gap. He might not have the physical dimensions of The Beast, but the 24-year-old has other skills - such as the long, sweeping pass he made to find Esterhuizen (out on the touchline) for a try against the Jaguares at Jonsson Kings Park. Also a strong scrummager and an aggressive tackler, Nche is on his way to becoming a crowd favourite in his own right.
