SHARKS SEASON PREVIEW: Rassie’s selection policy may prove helpful

The big question that hovers over the Hollywoodbets Sharks at the start of each season tends to focus on how the franchise’s many Springboks will deal with the arduous and attritional nature of the 12 month South African season, but this might be a time where Rassie Erasmus is helping the Durbanites.

Whereas in previous seasons there might just have been some question marks over whether all the Sharks Boks were running on full throttle and even fully committed given that they effectively owned their positions in the national team, the Bok coach has changed all of that. If there is one thing that has emerged crystal clear from the international season so far is that Erasmus, with his rotational selection policy, will have put a fire cracker under some of his players.

Suddenly it appears that everyone, even players who have been playing for the Sharks for years, are under pressure to produce as Erasmus sifts through his options, meaning who will beat off the attentions of Father Time, ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.

Having to prove their form and play for places could provide the extra edge to the motivation that Plumtree will be looking for from his players as he seeks a continuation of the sharp upward trend in the team’s performance graph last season. The Sharks still took flak from some critics at stages of the 2024/2025 campaign, so some may raise their eyebrows at any suggestion of an improvement, but it is a fact - the Sharks went from second last in 2024 to third in the most recently completed season.

HAVING TOO MANY BOKS HAS BEEN COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE

That is more like where the Sharks belong if you look at the international players on their books, although what would have quickly become apparent to the Sharks is that having too many Boks in the squad can be counter-productive. That is because of the 12 month, year round demand on the players, and the need to take sporadic resting periods off as per the Bok protocols, usually in February and March.

There is also the wear and tear that becomes an obstacle for players who are still playing top level club rugby at a time of year when their southern hemisphere rivals from New Zealand and Australia are putting their feet up over the summer. Already the Sharks have injury problems, several of them, and one top class international player, Aphelele Fassi, has been ruled out for at least six months because of the injury he sustained against the All Blacks in Wellington.

“I am not sure of the full nature of it but it was a serious injury and it will necessitate surgery so he will be out for at least six months,” said Plumtree.

That will mean the Sharks won’t see their star fullback until January, and Plumtree has let it be known that while the likes of Yaw Penxe can do a good stop gap job there, and Jordan Hendrikse too when he recovers from his own injury, the Sharks are on the look out for a player who can double as a wing or fullback. It wasn’t surprising to learn from weekend reports that Quan Horn, the excellent Emirates Lions No 15, may be on the Sharks’ radar.

DON’T FORGET MAPIMPI AND HIS DRIVE TO DO WELL

The Sharks do have depth at wing, for we should not forget about Makazole Mapimpi, the 2019 Bok World Cup winner and first try scorer for South Africa in a RWC final, who in an interview with Kickoff Magazine last month made it clear that he was desperate to taste success with the Sharks as he heads into the latter part of his career. He is contracted until 2027, and knows that if he is still playing well when that year arrives, he could still get to experience a third World Cup - although that is not his focus.

Mapimpi has been joined in the Sharks’ wing stocks by former Lions Bok speedster Edwill van der Merwe, who looked likely to become a fixture in Erasmus’ plans before he was injured in the opening Castle Lager Rugby Championship game against Australia. He is an example of a Bok player playing for a place, and that should suit Plumtree fine.

There was some promising wing talent coming through for the Sharks XV in the Carling Currie Cup season, while the Sharks have acquired the services of Blitzbok star Christie Grobbelaar.

“He is a bit raw still but he is a very committed and aggressive player and in terms of work rate he reminds me of (another Blitzbok star who played wing for the Sharks) Werner Kok,” said the coach.

FAMILIARITY WITH COACH MEANT FEWER ACQUISITIONS

This will be Plumtree’s third season in charge of the Sharks and while last year there were quite a few acquisitions, headlined by Andre Esterhuizen, who played a big role for the Sharks in his first season back from Harlequins, Jason Jenkins and Trevor Nyakane, but when it comes to star quality the only big arrival is Van der Merwe.

While that may suggest the Sharks could struggle in the stages of the season when the Boks are away on international duty, with the first two games set to coincide with the final rounds of the Rugby Championship, Plumtree takes an alternative view of it in explaining why the cheque book wasn’t used too liberally during the off-season.

“I’ve been here two seasons now so the players will have become more used to me and what I want from them and me of them,” he says.

“We are focusing on improvement of players, not just about getting players in from outside to fill positions we feel need filling. If you can get players to be improve and become better players, get them understanding how you want to play, make them fitter, make them become better athletes, then your team should be more effective and competitive.”

EARLY INJURIES POSE OBSTACLE

Indeed, but there’s always the curve ball of injuries given the length of the season, and Plumtree faces three tough tour games, starting with Glasgow Warriors on Friday and finishing with Leinster in Dublin two weeks later, at a time when he may have to juggle a bit with his selections to fill holes.

“The forwards I am happy with, it is the backline that is mostly affected by injuries. Siya (Masuku) and Jordan (Hendrikse) are two players who will miss the early games and they are crucial for us as playmakers. But we have Jurenzo Julius ready to play, and we were lucky enough to acquire Ross Braude from the Pumas.” The Sharks have already been unlucky when it comes to injuries in the second row, with Corne Rahl going down during the Currie Cup season while Emile van Heerden suffered a long term shoulder injury when the Sharks played their final Currie Cup game against the Pumas as a warmup to the URC. Then Jason Jenkins went down during the past week, making it fortuitous that Marvin Orie, a Bok in the last World Cup year and a URC winner with the Stormers in 2022, had joined on a one year contract.

JADEN’S VERSATILITY MIGHT COME IN HANDY

It is understood that Jaden Hendrikse, who has played all his international rugby at scrumhalf, may be the man to line up at pivot while the other specialist No 10s are absent, and the Sharks’ chances of getting something out of the tour may depend on how he goes.

Lukhanyo Am is back from his injury and should be eager to get in some early good games before Esterhuizen and the excellent Ethan Hooker, who of course can also play wing, return from duty with the Boks.

Siya Kolisi was the Sharks’ MVP last year in terms of his work-rate and statistics when he did play, but as with the other Boks, his contribution might be determined by what his international duties take out of him.

The Sharks play their first home game against Ulster and that is when the Boks should be back in tow, in the fourth round of the competition, but Plumtree is ready to ask Boks who play in the final Championship game against Argentina in London to stay on for the Leinster game a week later if they are fresh enough to do so. Of course, that is the perennial million dollar question with the Sharks, how much the Boks can be committed to, but Plumtree should at least be smiling at the way Erasmus is mixing up his selections and in doing so making established internationals uncomfortable.

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS 2025/2026 VODACOM URC FIXTURES

Glasgow Warriors (Glasgow, Friday 26 September, 21.05)

Dragons (Newport, Friday 3 October, 21.05)

Leinster (Dublin, Saturday 11 October, 17.30)

Home games before international break in November

Ulster (Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Saturday 18 October, 16.00)

Scarlets (Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Saturday 25 October, 16.00)

Connacht (Galway, Friday 29 November, 21.45)

Vodacom Bulls (Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Saturday 20 December, 18.00)

Emirates Lions (Johannesburg, Friday 26 December, Time to be confirmed)

Emirates Lions (Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Saturday 3 January 2026, 15.30)

DHL Stormers (Cape Town, Saturday 24 January, 19.30)