THe following players are set to join the Sharks:-
Jacques Potgieter
Age - 29
Position - Flank
Surely one of the more exciting acquisitions for the Sharks, Potgieter is an absolute beast of a man. He has been ever-present for the Waratahs for the last two Super Rugby seasons but returns to South Africa next year. Potgieter is about as physical as they come, which is good news for the Sharks given the departure of Willem Alberts. He will not be available for the Currie Cup, but will join the side ahead of the 2016 Super Rugby season.
This is a massive improvement on the clueless, clumsy and low workrate Alberts.
David McDuling
Age - 26
Position - Lock
Having spent the last two seasons in James Horwill’s shadow at the Reds, McDuling has been capped just 12 times in Super Rugby. But Gold does rate him very highly, and the plus is that he can play as a loose forward too. The bad news is that McDuling has a history of knee injuries, but the good news is that he seems to have gotten over them. He will join the Sharks for the start of the Currie Cup season.
Not an ideal selection - but a vast improvement on the geriatric pals of John Smit - Botha and Wentzel
Michael Claassens
Age - 32
Position - Scrumhalf
One thing the Sharks clearly missed this season was experience in key positions, and they will get plenty of that in the form of Claassens. Stefan Ungerer performed admirably in Super Rugby despite being thrust into the deep end, and the availability of Claassens for the Currie Cup means that the Sharks are well stocked in that position.
Am not sure about this one. He was good before his departure for France, but at 32 years of age is obviously not a good signing for the future.
Joe Pietersen
Age - 31
Position - Fullback/flyhalf
Another experienced campaigner, Pietersen joins the Sharks for the Currie Cup. He can play at 10 and at 15, and is coming off a full Super Rugby season. With his contract running until the end of 2017, Pietersen will also be a factor in the Sharks’ Super Rugby challenge next year. He is still an exciting player on the ball, and his proven pedigree will give fans a sense of comfort looking ahead.
Pretorius did very well for the Cheetahs this year. He is a thinking player and a good back-up for Le Roux and Lambie. A vast improvement on Zeilinga
Coenie Oosthuizen
Age - 26
Position - Prop
As exciting a prospect as Oosthuizen is for the Sharks, he is currently in a race against time to get fit for the World Cup. Regardless of whether he wins that race or not, he should have recovered from his neck injury by the start of Super Rugby next year. And, with his contract running until the end of 2019, the Sharks will hope that those recurring injuries stay away.
Coenie had another neck operation and whether he will play rugby is a huge question mark. If he does he would be a vast improvement on the floundering Jannie du Plessis - who is way past his sell-by date.
Philip van der Walt
Age - 25
Position - Flank/eighthman
Another interesting buy for the Sharks, and another former Cheetah. Van der Walt cut his teeth in Bloemfontein before jetting off to France in 2014 where he played for Biarritz. But the lure of Super Rugby - and possibly future Springbok contention - has brought him back to SA. Van der Walt will be available for the start of the Currie Cup and he will be desperate to show everyone what he is capable of.
This is probably the best forward signing of the lot. When Van der Walt left SA for France - he was by some distance the second-best no 8 in SA. If he continues in that vein he would be an extremely valuable player for the Sharks.
Wandile Mjekevu
Age - 24
Position - Wing/centre
Mjekevu joins for his second stint at the Sharks. In 2013 he left Durban for France (Perpignan) after he openly criticised the Sharks’ coaching methods. But that’s all water under the bridge now, and the youngster will be hoping for a more enjoyable stay at King’s Park.
This guy could be a very good replacement for Ndungane.
Willie le Roux
Age - 25
Position - Fullback
Another major signing for Gold, Le Roux also joins the Sharks from the Cheetahs. The fullback is very much in the Springbok World Cup mix, so he will only be available for his new franchise for Super Rugby. There is no doubt that Le Roux is a fantastic player, but the only concern for the Sharks will be that he has committed to a three-month stint in Japan (Eagles) after the World Cup and before Super Rugby.
The best signing of the lot.
CONCLUSION
Lets look at the Sharks situation next year:
Fullbacks
Le Roux and Pretorius - a vast improvement on the present scenario
Wings
Not much change here - only Mjekevu replacing Ndungane, who was pas hiss ell-by date as well. Problem is the slow and non-productive JP Pietersen, but he is likely a back-up player.
Centers
This remains a problem area for the Sharks - with only Jordaan as a reasonable center. They can also play Sithole as outside center - but their weakness remains with the poor attacking and flawed defense of Frans Steyn at 12. The story is that William Small-Smith may also head to Durban - which would be a vast improvement for them as well.
Halfbacks
Lambie and Pretorius at flyhalf represents an improvement on the present scenario. Not sure what Claasen would add to the Reinach and Ungerer situation - but probably a good back-up situation.
Loosies
This is a vast improvement on the present scenario. Van der Walt - Potgieter - Coetzee is a vast improvement on the present loosie situation. Back-ups could come from the present crop and they also have the Du Preez twins in reserve.
Locks
The contracting of McDuling is an improvement on Wentzel and Botha and if all the locks are available in Lewies and Oosthuizen - the situation would be much better than it was this year. Potgieter could also be utilized as a lock - he often played in that position for the Waratahs.
Props
Also an improvement since Jannie du Plessis was past his sell-by date. The problem si whether Coenie is going to be effective in view of his latest neck operation - but they also have Thomas du Toit in their squad.
Hooker
The loss of Bismarck is huge - and I would have hoped that they could contract a player not fully utilized by the Lions in Marx, since their only hooker of value seems to be Marais with Cooper as backup.
The Sharks seems to be going the right way in team rebuilding and they must now get a coach that can ensure they reach the top standard required. I would say they only need another center and a hooker to really get to a better situation than they were in this year.
