Super Rugby franchises Sharks, Stormers, Bulls and Lions will bring a South African flavour to the Guinness PRO14 next year as the four teams make their Championship bow.

Excitement is building for the new chapter in the history of the Championship as the best sides from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy go head-to-head with the South African outfits.

To mark this significant moment, we are going to tell the story of each new team starting with one of the most well-known sides in Super Rugby history – the fearsome Sharks.

When they were founded?

Drawing on players from all of the KwaZulu-Natal Province and based in Durban, The Sharks originally began life as Natal until their name change in 1995.

The KwaZulu-Natal Union was formed as far back as 1890 but it took 66 years for the union to enjoy its first Curie Cup final, although the province produced its fair share of quality players.

Springboks Bill Payne, Wally Clarkson and Philip New all came through the ranks but the 1940s, 50s and 60s were not successful years for the province.

Natal also struggled to make an impression in the 1970s until the arrival of Wynand Claassen from Pretoria in late 1979, with a rare third-place finish coming in the 1980 Currie Cup.

High calibre players such as Gawie Visagie, Henry Cowell, Rob Hankinson and Mort Mortassagne made an impression during the 1980s but it wasn’t until the 90s Natal came into their own.

The arrival of Ian McIntosh transformed their fortunes, building a squad that would go on to enjoy a dream 1990 Currie Cup season as they defeated Northern Transvaal in the final.

And while the provincial Natal team was nicknamed the Banana Boys for a long time, the advent of professionalism in 1995 and launch of Super Rugby saw the arrival of the Sharks.

How many trophies have they won?

It may have taken until their centenary year anniversary for the Sharks, then known as Natal, to claim silverware for the first time but they have since enjoyed plenty of success.

The 1990 victory was the catalyst for further Currie Cup triumphs as McIntosh led his team to a second title in 1992, beating Francois Pienaar’s Transvaal 14-13 in the final.

Transvaal exacted revenge the following year but the newly branded Sharks returned to the winner’s circle in 1995 as they secured a third Currie Cup success in six years.

With the likes of Andre Joubert, Wayne Fyvie and prop Robbie Kempson in the team, they secured their first back-to-back Currie Cup titles in 1996 with victory over Transvaal.

Surprisingly they had to wait until 1999 to contest another final as Transvaal caused the side Currie Cup heartache, defeating the four-time champions 32-9 in the showpiece.

It signalled the end of an era as McIntosh and captain Gary Teichmann announced their retirements, with Rudolf Straeuli and future Springbok captain John Smit leading the new charge.

Further finals followed in 2000, 2001 and 2003 but it wasn’t until 2008 that they came out on top again, defeating Blue Bulls in the final with New Zealander John Plumtree in charge.

The Currie Cup also returned to Durban in 2010, 2013 and 2018 but the Sharks have never won any Super Rugby competition, reaching the final four times (1996, 2001, 2007, 2012).

Where did they finish in the table last year?

The Sharks finished fourth in the Currie Cup Premier Division standings in 2019, with four wins from their six games, with Free State Cheetahs and Golden Lions three points better off.

Their campaign concluded at the semi-final stage, though, with the Cheetahs emerging with a 51-30 success in Bloemfontein before going on to clinch the title.
They also enjoyed mixed fortunes in Super Rugby, finishing third in the South African Conference and sixth in the overall standings with seven wins and a draw from 16 games.

Although they did enough to reach the knockout stages, their journey ended at the quarter-final stage as the Brumbies defeated them 38-13 in Canberra.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, a combined Currie Cup and domestic Super Rugby Unlocked tournament was created in 2020 for the seven Premier Division teams.

Starting with a seven-week round-robin in the Super Rugby Unlocked competition, the Sharks have enjoyed a resurgence to win five of their six games to top the South African Conference.

Those points were carried forward to the Currie Cup Preview Division, being played from November 27 to January 2021, with the Sharks currently second behind Blue Bulls.