The Sharks finished last season with back-to-back victories, but still ended in 10th place, and there is a huge onus on JP Pietersen’s team to enjoy a better campaign considering all the resources at their disposal.
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Last season, the Sharks averaged four tries per game and were particularly effective from lineout attack, with 34.7% of their tries coming from this source – the highest proportion among the teams in the competition.
The coastal team will also hope for a home ground ally after losing just once in their last eight URC matches at the Shark Tank.
For captain Nick Hatton – who will lead a strong side – he said there is something particularly special about starting the season at home.
“The start of the season is really exciting and playing at home for a change is really cool,” he explains.
“All the teams want to start well, whether that’s at home or away, but playing at home is super exciting. We have awesome fans and we’ve missed them, so we’re looking forward to playing in front of our home supporters.”
Furthermore, the Ospreys have lost their last five matches in South Africa, while the honours have gone to the home team in the last four meetings between these two sides, including a 29-10 win in May 2025.
Kick off is 16:00 on Saturday.
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HOW THE TEAMS WILL LINE UP
Sharks: 15 Luan Giliomee, 14 Suleiman Hartzenberg, 13 Jurenzo Julius, 12 Murray Koster, 11 Litelihle Bester, 10 Vusi Moyo, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Nick Hatton (captain), 7 Manu Tshituka, 6 Phepsi Buthelezi, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Corne Rahl, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Eduan Swart, 1 Phatu Ganyane.
Replacements: 16 Esethu Mnebelele, 17 Nemo Roelofse, 18 Hanro Jacobs, 19 Jason Jenkins, 20 Matt Romao, 21 Ivan van Zyl, 22 Siya Masuku, 23 Zekhethelo Siyaya.
Ospreys: 15 Iestyn Hopkins, 14 Tom Rogers, 13 Owen Watkin (co-captain), 12 Lalakai Foketi, 11 Luke Morgan, 10 Lawson Creighton, 9 Luke Davies, 8 Morgan Morris, 7 Ross Moriarty, 6 Liam Wright, 5 Rhys Davies, 4 James Ratti, 3 Tom Botha, 2 Sam Parry (co-captain), 1 Steffan Thomas
Replacements: 16 Efan Daniel, 17 Gareth Thomas, 18 Rhys Henry, 19 Ryan Smith, 20 Harri Deaves, 21 Kieran Hardy, 22 Harri Wilde, 23 Evardi Bosho
Sharks v Ospreys
Date: Saturday, 26 September 2026
Venue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
SA Time: 16h00
Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi
TV: SuperSport
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