Increasingly it looks as if the Sharks will be undergoing a squad overhaul from next season, with a number of players heading overseas or coming to the end of their contracts.
In one bit of player movement news that has been rumoured for some time, it has been confirmed that Springbok scrumhalf Grant Williams will be joining a Japanese club after this season.
The 29-year-old has firmly established himself in the top two of the Springboks’ pecking order at scrumhalf over the last couple of seasons, but he will rest easy in the knowledge that Rassie Erasmus has consistently shown a willingness to select players based in Japan and Europe.
Sharks hoping for strong finish to the season
The Sharks’ hopes of reaching the URC playoffs sustained a huge blow as they went down 21-17 against the Opsreys this past weekend, while are also set to miss on Champions Cup qualification for next season.
It has ultimately left a lot of questions for coach JP Pietersen to answer.
“We got a lot of territory and possession and played some great rugby, which was positive to see and showed that we can be good when we stick to the plan. But in saying that we were not clinical or ruthless enough when opportunities came and we created enough opportunities when we got into their 22,” he commented after the Ospreys game.
“There seemed to be a lack of concentration, by losing the ball and letting Ospreys off the hook, with not converting opportunities into points.
“If you don’t take opportunities you put pressure on yourselves to get the next play in and the more pressure you put on yourselves, this resulted in the unforced errors we saw.”
They are essentially in “must-win” territory for every remaining game – and will need to rely on other results going their way – to sneak into the top eight.
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