Sink or swim: Sharks Women face daunting start to Women’s Super League 1 campaign

The Sharks Women face a brutal initiation into the rebranded Pick n Pay Women’s Super League 1, kick-starting their campaign with back-to-back clashes against last season’s powerhouses: Western Province and the Bulls Daisies.

First up for coach Jason Hector’s young squad is a daunting trip to Cape Town this Saturday. They face WP at City Park Stadium in Athlone (1pm kick-off) in what promises to be a high-octane introduction to this year's premier division.

“Essentially the opening two weeks is the finalists of last year, so that’s no walk in the park. There is no easy game this year if I look at what the teams have done – the moves they’ve made, the changes, new personnel they’ve got in,” Hector told Independent Media Sport exclusively at training this week.

“I think it’s going to be a heck of a season. I believe there’s nine Springboks in the Western Province team this weekend, so it’s going to a heck of a test, especially for our young girls. It will be good for them to measure themselves up against the teams that were in the final last year and have got a proud rugby history.”

The odds appear stacked heavily in favour of the traditional giants who have contested the last three elite-division finals – with the Daisies claiming all three titles. The league’s dominant force will visit Kings Park in Durban next weekend, following their own season opener against the Border Ladies.

While Hector acknowledges the enormity of facing another Springbok-laden rival – the only fully professional outfit in the division – he hasn’t ruled out his side's ability to spring a surprise or two this season.

The Sharks have overhauled their roster, with Pilisile Dlamini, Kim Fynn, Amahle Fihlela, Sinoyolo Best, Reneilwe Masiavulwa, and Tairisha Maritz among a host of new signings. The capture of former Springbok hooker Lindelwa Gwala is a major coup for the union. Having featured at the 2022 World Cup and gained invaluable experience with Ealing Trailfinders in the UK, her pedigree is vital for such a young squad.

Backline duo Mary Zulu and Tayla Kinsey, both part of last year’s World Cup squad in England, will also be central to the Sharks' attacking threat.

“We’d like to say that we’re going to play our own brand of rugby this year. We do want to play a lot of pressure rugby and challenge teams to see what they can do with ball in hand, see how we can put them under pressure,” Hector said.

Hector believes the side has evolved significantly since his first season in charge.

“The girls are a lot more familiar with how we do things and we are more familiar with how they do things. We understand each other’s expectations better. So I think from last year to this year there has been a step up. Only time will tell, once we see what the opposition is like,” he concluded.

The opening fortnight will go a long way to determining whether the Sharks Women will sink or swim this season.