Natal Sharks
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| Sharks | |
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| Full name | Sharks |
| Emblem | Shark |
| Colours | Black & white |
| Founded | 1890 |
| Sport | Rugby union |
| League | Currie Cup |
| Ground | Kings Park Stadium |
| Official website | sharksrugby.co.za |
The Natal Sharks are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They play out of Durban at ABSA Park Stadium (formerly known as Kings Park). They draw most of their players from the KwaZulu-Natal Province. The Sharks are the current incarnation of the Natal rugby Union, founded in 1890. The team were known simply as 'the Banana Boys' until the mid-1990s.
NB: This team should not be confused with the Sharks of the Super 14 competition. Both teams currently play in the same stadium and draw their players from the same area, but are otherwise distinct. For most of Super Rugby history, the Sharks Super Rugby franchise drew players from a larger area than did the Natal Sharks. However, this changed in the 2005-06 close season when the Southern Spears organisation was created.
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[edit] History
The Natal Rugby Union was founded in 1890. Natal made their first Currie Cup final appearance in the 1956 season, where they met Northern Transvaal at home, Kings Park Stadium in Durban. Natal went down by just a single point, with Northern Transvaal winning the match nine points to eight.
Natal would not make another finals appearance until the 1984 season, when they met Western Province at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town. Natal lost the match nineteen points to nine. Natal met 1956 final opponents, Northern Transvaal, in the legendary 1990 final in Pretoria, though this time, Natal won the contest, claiming their first ever Currie Cup, with the final score being 18 points to 12. Natal won the match with Tony Watson's famous '9 point try'. With score at 12-9, Right Winger Watson tuched down to make it 13-12 in Natal's favour, but he was fouled upon scoring. Stransky converted to give Natal a 3-point lead, and his successful subsequent penalty gave Natal the six point lead which they held until the final whistle. The victorious side were captained by scrumhalf Craig Jamieson, who led the team on a ticker-tape parade through central Durban later. The victory was especially poignant for being both Natal's first, and for occurring in the Union's Centenary year.
Natal were again in the finals only two seasons after their 1990 victory. They won their second Currie Cup title, defeating Transvaal by a single point, winning 14 points to 13 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. This was another important victory, because it confirmed that Natal were consistently good performers, and not just one-hit wonders. The Sharks' success in the 1990s continued, with the team making it to the following season's final as well, though they were not able to win back-to-back titles, going down to Transvaal 15 to 21 at home.
Natal provided virtually all the players who participated in the Sharks squads of the 1990s in first the Super 10 competition, and its later edition, the Super 12. Durban-based players continue to provide the bulk of the current Super 14 squad. Natal and the Sharks performed inconsistently in the early years of the Southern Hemisphere competition, but earned the respect of Antipodean clubs and reached the final of the second Super 10 competition in 1994. The team developed a particularly intense rivalry with the Auckland Blues, and Sharks-Blues contests are usually one of the highlights of Super rugby. The team also particularly enjoy defeating Brisbane's Queensland Reds, mostly due to a rivalry that dates back to the 1994 Super 10 final, won by Queensland, and the fact that Durban and Brisbane are considered by many to be almost 'twin cities', sharing a similar climate, population size, and relaxed, seaside atmosphere. Natal reached the final of the 1996 Super 12 competition and the Sharks reached the 2001 final.
Although they were not finalists of the 1994 Currie Cup season, the Natal Sharks continued to feature in the 90's and were probably best team of the decade, having won more Currie Cup titals than any other team in the same period. Natal won the 1995 Currie Cup, defeating Western Province 25 to 17 at home and defeating the Golden Lions in the 1996 decider, 33 points to 15 at Ellis Park, tehir first back-to-back title. They made one other final appearance during the decade, against 1996 finalists, the Golden Lions, who defeated the Sharks 32 points to nine in Durban.
Following the 1999 final loss to the Golden Lions, the Sharks made it to the 2000 final, where they went down to Western Province 25 to 15 in Durban. They faced Western Province again in the subsequent season final, with Province losing 29 to 24 in Cape Town. The Sharks did not feature in the 2002 final, but faced the Blue Bulls in the 2003 final, who defeated them 40 to 19 in Pretoria.
[edit] Current squad
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[edit] Finals results
[edit] Currie Cup
| Season | Winners | Score | Runner-up | Venue |
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| 1956 | Northern Transvaal | 9 - 8 | Natal Sharks | Kings Park Stadium, Durban |
| 1984 | Western Province | 19 - 9 | Natal Sharks | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria |
| 1990 | Natal Sharks | 18 - 12 | Northern Transvaal | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria |
| 1992 | Natal Sharks | 14 - 13 | Transvaal | Ellis Park, Johannesburg |
| 1993 | Transvaal | 21 - 15 | Natal Sharks | Kings Park Stadium, Durban |
| 1995 | Natal Sharks | 25 - 17 | Western Province | Kings Park Stadium, Durban |
| 1996 | Natal Sharks | 33 - 15 | Golden Lions1 | Ellis Park, Johannesburg |
| 1999 | Golden Lions | 32 - 9 | Natal Sharks | King's Park Stadium, Durban |
| 2000 | Western Province | 25 - 15 | Natal Sharks | Absa Stadium, Durban |
| 2001 | Western Province | 29 - 24 | Natal Sharks | Newlands, Cape Town |
| 2003 | Blue Bulls2 | 40 - 19 | Natal Sharks | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria |
[edit] Notes
1 Transvaal were renamed the Gauteng Lions; now known as Golden Lions.
2 Northern Transvaal were renamed the Blue Bulls.
[edit] External link
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| Federation: | South African Rugby Union |
| National team: | South Africa • South Africa Sevens |
| International Competitions: | Rugby World Cup • Tri Nations • Super 14 • Mandela Challenge Plate • Freedom Cup • Rugby World Cup Sevens • IRB Sevens World Series • South Africa (George) Sevens |
| Super 14 teams: | Bulls • Cheetahs • Lions • Sharks • Stormers |
| Domestic Competitions: | Currie Cup • Vodacom Cup |
| Currie Cup Premier teams: | Blue Bulls • Free State Cheetahs • Golden Lions • Griquas • Natal Sharks • Pumas • Western Province • Falcons |
| Currie Cup Division One teams : | Boland Cavaliers • Border Bulldogs • Eagles • Griffons • Leopards • Mighty Elephants |
