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CONTENTS

POA 13H00 PARKING GATES OPEN 14H30 TURNSTILES OPEN 17H00 HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS VS CONNACHT RUGBY

10 12 16 18 22 28 29 32 33 36

MATCH PREVIEW

FRANCOIS VENTER INTERVIEW

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS PLAYER PROFILES

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS VS CONNACHT RUGBY KICK OFF 17H00

CONNACHT RUGBY PLAYER PROFILES

MAJOR MATCHUP VENTER VS OLIVER

FACTS, STATS & TRIVIA

FIXTURES & RESULTS

VODACOM UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP

LOG

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HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS VS CONNACHT RUGBY 9

MATCH PREVIEW

JUST THE BEGINNING… WORDS: ALBERT HEENOP

The Hollywoodbets Sharks are back in The Tank, following an arduous European tour of four weeks, and absolutely fizzing to not only rejuvenate their Vodacom URC campaign at home, but to also keep growing as an all-round outfit that can sustain success in the long term… With 14 rounds and more than six months’ worth of Vodacom United Rugby Championship still to play this season, it is indeed still early days. Even though the Hollywoodbets Sharks have yet to win after the first four rounds of the current competition, and considering that Munster, the defending champions, managed only two wins from the first seven outings of their championship campaign of 2022/23, John Plumtree’s side can hardly be written off at this stage of the 2023/24-tournament. “It’s not even Christmas yet, so there still is a long way to go,” says Plumtree, who has returned to Durban after 10 years to again take up the reins of head coach. “We’ve already seen growth in the group and as a management team we are setting pretty high standards. The process will take a while. “What excites me most, though, is where this ship is going. 10 HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS VS CONNACHT RUGBY

“People want success, and we are working our buts off to give them success. This is a tough industry for players, coaches and administrators alike, especially in South Africa, where expectations are so high. “However, we are working really hard to start winning, and when we do get it right, I won’t be surprised if we wallop some teams. “So, I just keep casting my mind to the future, and where we’re headed.” The Hollywoodbets Sharks have just returned from four weeks abroad that saw them lose consecutively against the defending champions, Munster, Leinster, Ospreys and Zebre. The Durbanites were not embarrassed in any of the defeats, though, and could have picked up a couple of wins had they been just slightly more accurate. “From a results perspective, the tour was disappointing,” Plumtree acknowledges. “The first two weeks in Ireland were always

going to be tough, but we were hoping for more rewards against Ospreys and Zebre. “We played some really good rugby on tour, and I’m pleased with the growth of our game. “We’re trying to play more rugby, but within that process we’re also making more mistakes. Our ball-in-play time has gone up, as well as the number of passes we make. “We’re certainly playing more rugby, in an endeavour to build pressure with the ball in hand, but we’re still making too many basic mistakes for it to be effective. “The playmakers within the team need to be able to hit the right options, and when we have those options we need to be good enough to finish.

THE FIRST TWO WEEKS IN IRELAND WERE ALWAYS GOING TO BE TOUGH.. “We’re not there yet in terms of attack; we’re not scoring four or five tries per game and putting sides under pressure on the scoreboard. We’ve nevertheless seen nice growth in what we’re trying to do, and that excites me. “Defensively, we’ve also improved, although it was tough going in Ireland. Ospreys, apart from a couple of opportunistic tries, never managed to really build any pressure against us, while Zebre never looked like scoring.” Plumtree is looking forward to witnessing even more growth against Irish outfit, Connacht, at home today, although he realises that the Hollywoodbets Sharks have another major task on their hands. “It should prove to be a great battle up front. “Connacht play dangerously, like all the Irish teams do, and, although a pretty consistent

side, they are unpredictable. “We will have to break them down, so defensively it will be tough. “I’m sure, though, that the positive energy back home at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, with the local supporters cheering us on, will be good for us.” HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS VS CONNACHT RUGBY 11

BEING PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER THAN YOURSELF This is a sentiment that Bok centre Francois Venter has experienced throughout his rugby career, from Grey College to the Cheetahs, and now, again, at the Hollywoodbets Sharks. It is that attitude, he reckons, which is busy transforming the Durban-based side into something special… WORDS: ALBERT HEENOP 12 HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS VS CONNACHT RUGBY

Having represented the Springboks and with four years of English Premiership experience with Worcester Warriors, Francois Venter has brought heaps of rugby intelligence to the Hollywoodbets Sharks. The 32-year-old midfielder appeared in seven tests for South Africa in 2016 and 2017, and accumulated 77 caps for the Warriors since 2018. This experience has taught him all about the cycles in the world of rugby, and how to handle the ups and, indeed, downs of the game, the latter as experienced by the Hollywoodbets Sharks on their recent Vodacom United Rugby Championship tour of Europe. “It has been four very long weeks, en certainly not the easiest start to our Vodacom UCR campaign,” he agrees. “We always knew that it would be tough, especially against the top two sides in Ireland (Munster and Leinster). As a team, I felt that we really grew in those two games, but we let ourselves down in the last two outings, against Ospreys and Zebre. “We beat urselves in those contests, and that was frustrating. “Everyone is focussed on improvement and for things to work out, but being on the road for so long does get tough. At the same time, the hard times tend to draw everyone closer together. “This is a young team, and the tour has been an invaluable learning curve. As senior players, we simply have to take responsibility, because things won’t change overnight and this a path that we have to negotiate together. “Tough times are invariably followed by better times; that’s how the cycles of rugby work…” According to Venter, who has been entrusted with the captaincy role thus far this season, the Hollywoodbets Sharks have been nothing but thrilled with head coach John Plumtree, HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS VS CONNACHT RUGBY 13

since his return from New Zealand. “As players we really do enjoy Plum,” Venter says.

“Again, as a team, that Cheetahs outfit stood together and played for something far bigger than individual aspirations,” he says.

“He has brought so much experience, and he is absolutely passionate about the Hollywoodbets Sharks. It means the world to him.

“We were a really close-knit unit and it was largely due to the mentorship of coach Franco Smith. He taught us to view the game in a different way, and focussed a lot on helping players to become better people too.”

“Naturally, Plum has been frustrated with our lack of results, but he’s experienced enough to realise that these things take time.” All good things take time, right? Jacobus Francois Venter was born 32 years ago in Bloemfontein, and destined to play rugby from the word go. “I was still a toddler when Dad bought me a pair of boots, which was way too big for me,” he recalls. “I started playing rugby at Universitas Primary School, and couldn’t understand why we always lost to Grey College. So, when I was 10 years old, my parents enrolled me at Grey and that changed my life. “There was such a plethora of talent, which taught me to really work hard for what I wanted to achieve. I also realised that I was playing for something bigger than myself. “I wasn’t big at school, though, but former Free State winger, Jan du Toit, who was involved at the Cheetahs Institute of Excellence, helped me to gain muscle with a specially designed conditioning programme.” Venter’s game went from strength to strength and, following a three-year stint with the Blue Bulls, he went on to accumulate almost a century of caps for the Cheetahs, including the 36-16 Currie Cup final triumph over the Blue Bulls in 2016.

14 HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS VS CONNACHT RUGBY

Three weeks later, on November 12, 2016, Venter’s international baptism of fire for South Africa followed with a 21-37 loss to England at Twickenham. The highlight of his seven-test career was the heart-stopping 1817 win against France in Paris a year later. In 2018, Venter signed with Warriors, where he established himself as midfield force for the Worcester-based club. “The four seasons spent with the Warriors taught me so much,” he suggests. “Being based overseas isn’t easy; one is basically sacrificing your life in South Africa. It requires a massive adjustment, especially for someone as family orientated as myself. “As such, I learnt a lot about myself as a person. “From a playing perspective, Premiership Rugby is highly competitive. It is quite different from Super Rugby, in that play is more structured, the pressure is higher and you have to adapt to radically different playing conditions.” Following the liquidation of Warriors last year, Venter was handed a lifeline by the Hollywoodbets Sharks, and is thoroughly enjoying his time in The Shark Tank. “There are high expectations, and as a group we are continually striving for success and putting in the hard yards. “I have no doubt that success is just around the corner…”

@TheSharks

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS VS CONNACHT RUGBY 15

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS PLAYER PROFILES

NTUTHUKO MCHUNU

DYLAN RICHARSDON

PROP

HOOKER

BORN: 08/10/1992 HEIGHT: 1.81 m

WEIGHT: 112KG

BORN: 15/01/1999 HEIGHT: 1.84 m

WEIGHT: 110KG

CORNE RAHL

EMILE VAN HEERDEN

LOCK

BORN: 27/05/2002 HEIGHT: 2.03 m

WEIGHT: 103KG

PHEPSI BUTHELEZI FLANK

BORN: 30/05/1999 WEIGHT: 102KG HEIGHT: 1.88m

CURWIN BOSCH F LY H A L F

BORN: 08/08/2000 HEIGHT: 2.01 m

WEIGHT: 110KG

SIKHUMBUZO NOTSHE EIGHTH MAN

BORN: 28/05/1993 HEIGHT: 1.86 m

WEIGHT: 105KG

APHIWE DYANTYI WING

BORN: 25/06/1997 WEIGHT: 85KG BORN:26/08/1994 16 HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS VS CONNACHT RUGBY HEIGHT: 1.81 m HEIGHT: 1.82 m

WEIGHT: 87KG

COENIE OOSTHUIZEN PROP

BORN: 22/03/1989 HEIGHT: 1.87 m

WEIGHT: 127KG

JAMES VENTER FLANK

BORN: 21/08/1996 HEIGHT: 1.79 m

WEIGHT: 92KG

CAMERON WRIGHT SCRUM-HALF

BORN: 12/04/1994 HEIGHT: 1.81 m

WEIGHT: 92KG

FRANCOIS VENTER CENTRE

BORN:19/04/1991 HEIGHT: 1.85 m

WEIGHT: 93KG

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS PLAYER PROFILES

CENTRE

BORN: 28/11/1993 HEIGHT: 1.86 m

FULLBACK

WING

WEIGHT: 93KG

BORN: 17/01/1993 HEIGHT: 1.79 m

DAN JOOSTE WEIGHT: 105KG

WEIGHT: 94KG

BORN: 23/01/1998 HEIGHT: 1.89 m

PROP PROP

BORN: 205/08/1999 HEIGHT: 1.83 m

WEIGHT: 112KG

WEIGHT: 87KG

HANRO JACOBS

DIAN BLEULER

HOOKER

BORN: 21/02/1998 HEIGHT: 1.87 m

APHELELE FASSI

WERNER KOK

LUKHANYO AM

PROP

BORN: 14/03/2000 HEIGHT: 1.86 m

WEIGHT: 122KG

JEANDRE LABUSCHAGNE

TINO MAVESERE

ZEE MKHABELA

LOCK

LOOSE FORWARD

SCRUM-HALF

BORN: 17/7/1999 WEIGHT: 106KG HEIGHT: 1.95 m

BORN: 17/10/1998 WEIGHT: 105KG HEIGHT: 1.89 m

BORN: 15/10/1994 WEIGHT: 75KG HEIGHT: 1.67 m

BOETA CHAMBERLAIN

ROHAN JANSE VAN RENSBURG CENTRE CENTR

BORN: 22/02/1999 WEIGHT: 86KG HEIGHT: 1.81 m

BORN: 11/09/1994 WEIGHT:SHARKS 109KG VS CONNACHT RUGBY 17 HOLLYWOODBETS HEIGHT: 1.85 m

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS

HEAD COACH

JOHN PLUMTREE

MANAGER

TREVOR BARNES

18 HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS VS CONNACHT RUGBY

APHELELE FASSI

WERNER KOK

LUKHANYO AM

FRANCOIS VENTER (C)

APHIWE DYANTYI

CURWIN BOSCH

CAMERON WRIGHT

SIKHUMBUZO NOTSHE

PHEPSI BUTHELEZI

JAMES VENTER

EMILE VAN HEERDEN

CORNE RAHL

COENIE OOSTHUIZEN

DYLAN RICHARSON

NTUTHUKO MCHUNU

DANIEL JOOSTE

DIAN BLEULER

HANRO JACOBS

JEANDRE LABUSCHAGNE

TINO MAVESERE

ZEE MKHABELA

BOETA CHAMBERLAIN

ROHAN JANSE VAN RENSBURG

KICK OFF 17H00 REFEREE CRAIG EVANS

CONNACHT RUGBY

TIERNAN O’HALLORAN

BYRON RALSTON

TOM FARRELL

CATHAL FORDE

ANDREW SMITH

JJ HANRAHAN

COLM REILLY

SEAN O'BRIEN

CONOR OLIVER (C)

CIAN PRENDERGAST

JOE JOYCE

OISÍN DOWLING

FINLAY BEALHAM

TADGH MCELROY

DENIS BUCKLEY

HEAD COACH

DAVE HEFFERNAN

TIM ALLNUTT

PETER DOOLEY

DOMINIC ROBERTSON-MCCOY

DARRAGH MURRAY

SHAMUS HURLEY-LANGTON

CAOLIN BLADE

DAVID HAWKSHAW

JOHN PORCH ASSISTANT REFEREES MORNE FERREIRA & CWENGILE JADEZWENI TMO SEAN BRICKELL

PETE WILKINS

MANAGER

HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS VS CONNACHT RUGBY 19

20 HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS VS CONNACHT RUGBY

THE ULTIMATE TEAM

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CONNACHT RUGBY PLAYER PROFILES

DENIS BUCKLEY

TADGH MCELROY

PROP

HOOKER

BORN: 9/8/1990 HEIGHT: 1.77 m

WEIGHT: 110KG

OISÍN DOWLING LOCK

BORN:23/06/1997 WEIGHT: 105KG HEIGHT: 1.96 m

CONOR OLIVER (C) FLANK

BORN: 21/09/1995 HEIGHT: 1.83 m

WEIGHT: 101KG

BORN: 16/06/1997 WEIGHT: 93KG HEIGHT: 1.73 m

JOE JOYCE LOCK

BORN: 7/02/1994 HEIGHT: 1.95 m

BORN:23/02/2000 WEIGHT: 112KG HEIGHT: 1.96 m

SEAN O'BRIEN

COLM REILLY SCRUMHALF

BORN: 14/02/1987 WEIGHT: 108KG HEIGHT: 1.88m

ANDREW SMITH WING

HEIGHT: 1.83m

CIAN PRENDERGAST

EIGHTH MAN

F LY H A L F

WEIGHT: 92KG

PROP

BORN: 9/10/1991 WEIGHT: 118KG HEIGHT: 1.88 m

FLANK

WEIGHT: 119KG

JJ HANRAHAN 22 BORN: 27/07/1992

FINLAY BEALHAM

BORN: 21/07/2000 WEIGHT: 86KG HEIGHT: 1.83m

BORN: 8/09/1999 WEIGHT: 78KG HEIGHT: 1.76m

CATHAL FORDE CENTRE

BORN: 11/04/2001 HEIGHT: 1.88 m

WEIGHT: 100KG

CONNACHT RUGBY PLAYER PROFILES

TOM FARRELL

BYRON RALSTON

CENTRE

WING

BORN: 1/10/1993 HEIGHT: 1.73 m

WEIGHT: 99KG

BORN: 3/05/2000 HEIGHT: 1.84 m

DAVE HEFFERNAN

FULL BACK

WEIGHT: 94KG

BORN: 26/02/1991 WEIGHT: 96KG HEIGHT: 1.88m

PETER DOOLEY

HOOKER

BORN: 31/01/1991 HEIGHT: 1.88m

TIERNAN O’HALLORAN

DOMINIC ROBERTSON-MCCOY PROP

PROP

WEIGHT: 111KG

BORN: 4/08/1994 HEIGHT: 1.83m

WEIGHT: 117KG

BORN: 10/11/1993 HEIGHT: 1.88m

WEIGHT: 122KG

DARRAGH MURRAY

SHAMUS HURLEY-LANGTON

CAOLIN BLADE

LOCK

LOOSE FORWARD

SCRUM-HALF

BORN: 4/07/2001 HEIGHT: 2.01m

WEIGHT: 115KG

BORN: 22/04/2000 HEIGHT: 1.85m

DAVID HAWKSHAW

WEIGHT: 108KG

BORN: 29/04/1994 HEIGHT: 1.70m

JOHN PORCH

F LY H A L F

FLANK

BORN: 3/07/1999 WEIGHT: 86KG HEIGHT: 1.75m

BORN: 4/3/1994 WEIGHT: 99KG HEIGHT: 1.85m

WEIGHT: 80KG

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MAJOR MATCHUP

VENTER VS OLIVER It is quite a tall order to fill the Bok boots of an icon like Siya Kolisi, but James Venter has made a remarkable fist of coping with the challenge on the openside flank of the Hollywoodbets Sharks. One of the most impressive performances during this year’s Currie Cup Premier Division was the Hollywoodbets Sharks’ win against the eventual champions, the Cheetahs, in Bloemfontein. That inspirational performance was spearheaded by Venter, both as captain and openside flanker. A superlative scavenger of the ball, the 27-year-old was deadly in defence and lethal at the breakdown all afternoon - the trademarks of his game, which are still somewhat underrated. Openside operator Conor Oliver leads Connacht in today’s big clash with the Hollywoodbets Sharks in Durban. Born in the Dublin fishing port of Skerries, Oliver recently claimed the Man-ofthe-Match spoils in Connacht’s heart-stopping 22-20 win against Irish archrivals Ulster, which saw ‘The Westerners’ fight back from 17 points in arrears early in the second half. The 28-year-old linked up with Connacht from Munster three years ago, celebrating his debut with another 26-20 victory over Ulster in August 2020, and he now already boasts 66 caps. Oliver is a product of the Munster Academy, and also represented ‘The Red Army’ against the Maori All Blacks.

28 HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS VS CONNACHT RUGBY

FACTS, STATS & TRIVIA

WELCOMING ‘THE WESTERNERS’ Nicknamed ‘The Westerners’, due to their western location in terms of Irish geography, we are welcoming Connacht to Hollywoodbets Kings Park for a second time today, since their first visit to The Shark Tank in April last year… *

Connacht is another of the four professional rugby outfits from Ireland, and traditionally considered to be the weakest in the country, compared to fellow provinces, Munster, Leinster and Ulster, although teams down the years have underestimated ‘The Westerners’ at their own peril.

With Connacht possessing barely eight percent of Ireland’s total population, the rugby franchise has a far smaller player base to pick from than the other provinces. In addition, the player base is also negatively affected by the popularity of Gaelic Athletic Association sports like hurling and Gaelic football.

Rugby has nevertheless shown steady growth in Connacht, especially since the team’s entry into the Heineken Cup, just over 10 years ago.

Connacht’s most successful season was in 2015/16, when they clinched the Pro12 competition for the first and only time, by seeing off Leinster 20-10 in the Grand final at Murrayfield in Edinburgh. Coached by former Samoan No 8, Pat Lam, that shock win drew comparisons with Premier League football side Leicester City's triumph that same year.

Connacht had three representatives in Ireland’s Rugby World Cup squad this year, namely Australian-born Mack Hansen and Finlay Bealham, as well as World Rugby Player of the Year nominee, Bundee Aki.

Together with Aki (2021), Connacht has also produced four British & Irish Lions representatives over the years, the other three being Ray McLoughlin (1966, 1971), John O’Driscoll (1980, 1983) and Ciaran Fitzgerald (1983, captain), as well as 76 Ireland representatives. HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS VS CONNACHT RUGBY 29

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