Nick Hatton, one of the co-owners of the Sharks team, will lead the squad in the highly anticipated United Rugby Championship (URC) match against Ospreys this Saturday.
The young player in position No. 8 will become the captain of the Sharks in a new era as he plays the first home URC match against Ospreys at Kings Park stadium. He is one of three co-owners appointed to support the central Springbok squad led by Andre Esterhuizen, along with Emil van Heerden and Vincent Tsituki. The team aims to form a new identity under the guidance of head coach J.P. Petersen.
Esterhuizen is currently in Australia with the Springboks squad, allowing Hatton to lead the Sharks in their first home URC match since 2024—the season the team last reached the playoffs.
Since Petersen took over from John Plamtree last year, the Sharks have undergone significant changes. At the start of the season, they were ranked 14th, securing only one win in the first six games. They subsequently climbed to 10th place, missing the playoffs, but demonstrated enough progress to hint at a foundation for a better future. Ironically, the loss to Ospreys away was what dashed the Sharks' hopes of making the playoffs.
After assessing the pre-season as one of the most comprehensive in recent years, the current task is to translate this progress into a clearly defined identity. The 23-year-old player stated: 'We are not yet the Sharks team we want to be, but we are striving to be a Sharks team with DNA in how we want to play and what we want to be as a squad.'
He added: 'I think we are definitely moving in the right direction. It is just very important right now to do everything possible to show it on the field.'
This DNA is being shaped both on and off the field, as the Sharks also underwent a rebranding as Sharks Rugby Club during the off-season. Vincent Koch and Fepsy Butelezi were appointed club captains with an emphasis on strengthening a high-performance culture based on discipline, accountability, and respect.
Hatton believes that the extensive pre-season allowed the team to lay the foundations for this culture. He noted: 'In pre-season, we had a large group, and then guys from the Currie Cup joined, and it is very exciting where we are going.' He continued: 'In pre-season, the coaches challenged us a lot regarding what we are trying to do on the field. And as players, we try to challenge each other off the field.'
As one of the leaders of the revamped Sharks, Hatton recognizes his responsibility to maintain these standards throughout the upcoming intense campaign. He emphasized: 'It is a long season, and we need a strong group of leaders.' He also noted that they are all striving to promote the club's standards and culture both on and off the field, working hard together in pre-season to build cohesion and culture.
Hatton specifically highlighted the importance of avoiding a repeat of last season's poor start, despite a strong finish. He stressed that the URC is a long tournament, so squad strength is crucial, which they are actively working on in pre-season. 'We need to start well and stick to it. We want to be a stable team and meet the Sharks standards, which we are actively promoting and trying to implement on the field now.'
For Hatton, the opportunity to start this process at home makes Saturday particularly significant. He concluded: 'The start of the season is exciting, and playing the first match at home is a nice change for us.' He added that all teams in the URC aim to start well, whether playing at home or away, and the first games are very important. 'We worked hard in pre-season for this weekend and for everything ahead, and we are happy to play in front of our fans.'
