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Why Sharks owe Ulster one in Durban

rugby15 October 2025 06:42
By:Gavin Rich
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John Plumtree © Getty Images

The Hollywoodbets Sharks have won two away games in succession against Ulster but that does not mean they don’t still owe the Northern Ireland province one when they visit Durban for Saturday’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship game at Hollywoodbets Kings Park.

The two teams will meet in contrasting positions when it comes to the pressure that is weighing on them - the Sharks have not won yet after three starts, with their draw against the Dragons in Newport on an inclement night in which Storm Amy caused other games to be postponed, while Ulster have comprehensively won both games they have played.

Ulster smashed the Dragons 42-21 in their first game of the season and then outplayed the Vodacom Bulls 28-7 last weekend. Their second game was due to be against Zebre but that was one of the games that Amy prevented from being played.

After a season in the doldrums there are big signs that the proud Ulster team is undergoing a renaissance and will arrive at the Durban game confident they can make it three out of three even though the Sharks will be reloaded with several Springbok stars who missed out on the tour.

Just Ethan Hooker and Makazole Mapimpi from the current Bok contingent started against Leinster last week, with Bongi Mbonambi and Vincent Koch playing off the bench.

Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Ox Nche, Andre Esterhuizen and Grant Williams all sat out the Dublin game and some if not all of them should be back to play Ulster in a game which is at a similar time of the season and with the teams in similar positions as a scheduled game in Durban in October 2022.

Sean Everitt was still the Sharks coach then, Eduard Coetzee was still the Sharks CEO, and the Sharks were expected to be fully loaded with their Bok stars for the first time in a game that coincided with a Sharks Fan Day.

The Sharks would have been confident of winning that game but it ended up being postponed because of a tummy bug that swathed through the Ulster camp in their Umhlanga hotel during the buildup. The same thing happened to Glasgow Warriors, who were also staying in Umhlanga ahead of a game against the Lions, and both games were postponed.

There was much disappointment that the Durban game was postponed, with the postponement coming at the last minute. I had travelled to Durban to cover the match and was on my way to pick up my accreditation at Kings Park when I heard of the postponement on the car radio.

There was some rancour too, for it was felt that Ulster should have fulfilled their commitment despite the tummy bug, or else conceded the points. No mention was made at the time of a possible alternative, which was to fly Ulster players out from Belfast who hadn’t been affected by the tummy bug to play the game.

The then Director of Rugby at SA Rugby, Rassie Erasmus, weighed in on his unhappiness, adding to the voices of Coetzee and company who felt aggrieved that their season’s momentum, with that game having been pinpointed as a big one for the Sharks in terms of unveiling their way forward, had been broken by something out of their control.

The Sharks were going to be at full-strength but that would not necessarily be the case for the rescheduled date, and sure enough, when Ulster did eventually visit on 26 February 2023 they ended up facing a much weaker Sharks team than would have been the case had they played on the initial date. February is now a resting month in South Africa for Springbok players.

Ulster won that game 31-24, a result that had far reaching implications not only for the Sharks, who ended up just outside of the top seven finish they needed that season to qualify for the Investec Champions Cup, but also the DHL Stormers, who ended that campaign a close third to Ulster’s second.

Now, like then, the Sharks desperately need a win, and if it is achieved it should provide momentum, as they shouldn’t have too much difficulty picking up full points against Scarlets the following week.

They have paid back Ulster for their reluctance to fulfil their 2022 commitment by winning the last two games they have played against Ulster in Belfast - they won 22-12 there in March of this year and 22-19 in 2024, but when it comes to giving their Durban fans the satisfaction of seeing payback Saturday is their big opportunity.

The Sharks team for the Ulster game will be announced on Friday.

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