The Sharks recently unveiled their home and away kits ahead of the 2013 Super XV, with the side opting for a conservative, traditional design which has immediately polarised the passionate Natal fans.
The jersey is almost exclusively black, with white used as a subtle feature, as opposed to recent years where white has been used more extensively as a feature. The Away shirt mirrors the home shirt, with the base colour being white, and black acting as a highlight.
Despite the design being relatively simplistic the jersey is still quite busy, with key sponsor ‘Mr Price’ having their logo splashed not only front and centre on the shirts, but also on both sides of the collar and on one sleeve. The Sharks logo sits on the left chest, with ‘maXed’ in the centre and Reebok on the right, while the official Super XV emblem resides on the other sleeve.
The Sharks enjoyed a fantastic season last year, putting aside the rigours of an arduous travel schedule to qualify for the Super XV final. Although the last trip to Hamilton, New Zealand was one trip too many, with the side losing to the Waikato-based Chiefs, they will take great heart from the dominant form of their young players at the business end of last season, and will no doubt benefit from the international exposure a number of those players experienced at the end of 2012.
As is the case with all South African sides their forwards will be the key to their success, with outstanding loosie Keegan Daniel looking to continue his scintillating form of late, and the inspirational Bismarck du Plessis keen to string together a full season after a number of niggly injuries which interrupted his season in 2012.