THE Sharks have forged a bond with their fellow aquatic masters by offering tickets to every finisher in this week’s Dusi Canoe Marathon to support The Sharks in their opening encounter of the season. With scarcely enough time to hang up their paddles after finishing the three day race, thousands of Dusi paddlers will be heading across the road from Blue Lagoon to Growthpoint Kings Park where The Cell C Sharks will be locking horns with the Bulls at 7pm on Saturday evening.

The Sharks have made a pair of tickets to the Super Rugby match available to every Dusi entrant, who will be seated in a distinctive block in the stadium for the key season-opener.

“It’s exciting to have two major sporting events in Durban on the same day, with the Dusi Canoe Marathon finishing at Blue Lagoon on Saturday afternoon, and just a couple of hours after the prizegiving, the Cell C Sharks take on the Bulls just a few hundred metres away,” said The Sharks Marketing Manager Mike Ablett.

“As two brands synonymous with KwaZulu-Natal it is such a great chance to overlap,” he added. “I am sure the Dusi paddlers will be in high spirits and bring a special mood to the stadium.”

Former winger for The Sharks and the Springboks Justin Swart is one of the around 1750 paddlers who will be setting off from Camps Drift on Thursday morning bound for Durban, and will no doubt be a vocal supporter for his old team from the block of Dusi finishers in the stadium on Saturday night.