Sharks: Notorious underperformers strike again

OPINION: After yet another disappointing United Rugby Championship season, Sharks fans will start to wonder if their star-studded side will ever gel into a championship outfit.

With a squad containing 18 Springboks and two more Test internationals in Dylan Richardson (Scotland) and Tino Mavesere (Zimbabwe), the Sharks failed to convince anyone that they were championship material despite finishing third on the URC table.

A points difference of plus 34 after the regular season tells the story.

The Sharks scraped past the stone-last Dragons by three points through a try deep into referee’s time at Rodney Parade, pipped Zebre by one point and lost to a second-string Leinster outfit at home.

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Narrow wins are great at Test level, ask any Springbok fan during the 2023 World Cup, but this is an international club competition, and fans want to see their team win as well as entertain. The Sharks did the former but seldom the latter.

They have been a frustrating team to watch over the last couple of seasons, and despite making their first URC semifinal and winning the South African Shield, one can’t help but wonder if all that star power will eventually produce consistent, convincing results, such as a side like newly crowned champions Leinster.

The Sharks have all the potential to be the ‘Leinster’ of South Africa, yet they remain the biggest underperformers year in and year out.

Their objectives for next season should be to reach a Champions Cup semifinal and the URC Final.

If not, there should be serious introspection from the top down as to why the Durban-based outfit is consistently failing to produce the goods.

Considering that the Sharks reached their first-ever URC semifinal and made a big step up from a disappointing 2023-24 season, @rugby365com rates them a 6.5/10.

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