Natal Sharks - History

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 9-8.

Natal made the final again in 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 Tony Watson touched 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 in the week. The victory was especially poignant for being both Natal's first, and for occurring in the Union's Centenary year.

Natal was 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 14-13 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 21-15 at home.

Natal provided virtually all the players who participated in the Sharks squads of the 1990s in first the Super 10 competition, and later, the Super 12. Durban-based players continue to provide the bulk of the current Super Rugby 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 vs. Blues contests are usually one of the highlights of Super rugby. The team also particularly enjoys 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 'twin cities', sharing a similar climate, population size, and relaxed, seaside atmosphere. Natal reached the final of the 1996 Super 12 competition where they lost to Auckland, and the Sharks reached the 2001 final where they lost to the Brumbies.

The Natal Sharks continued to feature in the 1990s and won more Currie Cup titles than any other team in the same period. Natal won the 1995 Currie Cup, defeating Western Province 25-17 at home and then defeating the Golden Lions in the 1996 decider, 33-15 at Ellis Park, their first back-to-back title. They made one other final appearance during the decade, against 1996 finalists, the Golden Lions, who defeated the Sharks 32-9 in Durban.

Following the 1999 final loss to the Golden Lions, the Sharks again made it to the final in 2000, but again lost, this time to Western Province in Durban 25-15. They faced Western Province again in the 2001 final in Cape Town, and again they lost 29-24. The Sharks did not feature in the 2002 final, but faced the Blue Bulls in the 2003 final, who defeated them 40-19 in Pretoria. The Sharks made it to the first-ever all-South African final of the Super 14 2007, losing narrowly to fellow South Africans The Blue Bulls 20-19. They were finally able to avenge these defeats by beating the Blue Bulls 14-9 at home in the 2008 Currie Cup Final. In 2010 the Sharks once again reached the Currie Cup final by defeating their old rivals the Blue Bulls 16-12. They contested the final at home against Western Province on Saturday 30 October 2010, and beat them 30-10 to win the coveted trophy once again. The Sharks failed to hold onto the Currie Cup in 2011 losing 42-16 to the Golden Lions in the finals at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, although some say this was due to the loss of all the Springboks during the Rugby World Cup, the Sharks did play the final with all their Springboks being available.

The Sharks are a well supported team with significant support coming from across KwaZulu-Natal as well as from parts of the Eastern Cape.