Sharks close in on Dan du Preez, Stephan Lewies to bolster pack after Siya Kolisi exit
UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP
Dan du Preez is set to make his way back to Sharks following the departure next year of Siya Kolisi.
Image: Backpagepix
While the Sharks will bid farewell to Siya Kolisi in July next year, they are set to welcome back another burly loose forward in Dan du Preez.
Du Preez, who has been at Sale Sharks since 2019, is close to signing a deal with the Durban team that gave him his start in professional rugby after he finished school at Kearsney College in KwaZulu-Natal. A source at the Sharks confirmed that Du Preez is keen to return to Durban and that the paperwork is underway.
The Sharks have been searching for a big, ball-carrying No 8 for some time, an area where they have been lacking. Hanro Liebenberg, the former Bulls star who has flourished at Leicester Tigers in the English Premiership, was also approached but is understood to be keen on a return to Pretoria.
Another former Shark heading back to Kings Park is Harlequins captain Stephan Lewies. The Sharks are vulnerable at lock due to injuries and Eben Etzebeth’s suspension.
Lewies, a one-cap Springbok, has made a name for himself in the English Premiership and boasts vast experience after stints at the Sharks, the Lions, and in Japan. He has played almost 100 games for Harlequins since joining them in 2019.
The Sharks are also battling to keep Springbok scrumhalf Grant Williams, who has been offered a lucrative deal with an overseas club. Williams has been in Durban since finishing school at Paarl Gimnasium but made his way into the Sharks via club rugby, first playing for College Rovers before being noticed by the franchise.
If Williams departs, the Sharks still have Jaden Hendrikse, who impressed off the bench in last week’s 21-12 victory over the Bulls. They have also added promising talent Ross Braude, the former Grey College standout who has represented Canada and, more recently, the Pumas.
The Sharks are enjoying a change in fortune under new head coach JP Pietersen. Since the former Springbok and Sharks wing took over from John Plumtree, the team has beaten Saracens and the Bulls. They will next host the Lions in a URC clash in Durban on January 3.