Sharks find silver lining in otherwise dreary season

Several rising stars have proven to be the silver lining for the Sharks in one of their worst seasons in recent history.

In the build-up to their last game of the 2025/26 season, head coach JP Pietersen said it was encouraging that youngsters had stepped up to fill the shoes of senior players battling injury.

The Sharks take on Benetton at Kings Park at 1.45pm on Saturday in a dead rubber for both sides as neither can reach the United Rugby Championship play-offs.

The Sharks lie 10th and cannot climb higher. In fact, a loss could mean dropping one or two places, depending on other results.

It follows a seventh-place finish (second last) in the Currie Cup, as well as exits in the Champions Cup group stage and Challenge Cup last-16.

Rising stars invited to Bok camp

Still, 18-year-old Zekhethelo Siyaya had done enough in three games to earn himself his first invitation to a Springbok alignment camp.

Jaco Williams, 20, will join him in Cape Town next week, after also being in the first camp in March.

“Credit must go to the kid for working hard and taking his opportunity,” Pietersen said of Siyaya.

“Jaco is there with him, also a special kid. And Manu Tshituka, also new to the alignment camps. It’s good for them to get recognition in the camps. Hopefully they can stay on and kick on for national duties.”

Prop Phatu Ganyane, 23, earned the Breakthrough Player of the Year accolade at the Sharks’ annual awards this week.

These, along with Matt Romao, 20, Jurenzo Julius and Litelihle Bester, both 22, and Nick Hatton and Bradley Davids, both 23, have pointed to a bright future for the union.

So too did Giliomee, 19, though the Blitzbok and Junior Springbok will move to the Bulls next season.

Sharks take ‘lots of positives’ from poor season

“If you look at our campaign, there are lots of positives we can take. Results-wise, there are no positives. It’s a bit of a set-back. But what we did see is that there is depth in the squad now.”

The Sharks coach said Ganyane had scrummed against Springbok props Wilco Louw, Neethling Fouché and Asenathi Ntlabakanye and acquitted himself well.

Bester’s performance on debut last week was also positive, as was Julius’ hat-trick to earn man of the match.

“It gives me confidence that we are building a squad and the youth that we had in between are putting their hands up.

“It’s beautiful to see the players are growing and there’s huge opportunity if we get our full squad back.”