Nick Hatton will lead the Sharks into a new era on Saturday when he captains them against the Ospreys at Kings Park in their opening United Rugby Championship match.
The young No 8 is one of three co-captains appointed to support Springbok centre Andre Esterhuizen, alongside Emile van Heerden and Vincent Tshituka, as the Sharks seek to establish a new identity under head coach JP Pietersen.
Esterhuizen is in Australia with the Springboks, leaving Hatton to lead the Sharks in their first home URC match since 2024 — the season when they last reached the playoffs.
The Sharks have undergone a significant overhaul since Pietersen took over from John Plumtree last year, when they were languishing in 14th place with just one win from their opening six matches.
They eventually climbed to 10th, missing the playoffs but showing enough improvement to suggest the foundations for something better were laid. Ironically, it was an away loss to Saturday’s opponents, the Ospreys, that ended the Sharks’ hopes of reaching the playoffs.
Now, after what Hatton described as one of the Sharks’ most comprehensive pre-seasons in years, the challenge is to turn that progress into a clearly defined identity.
“We’re not the Sharks team we want to be yet, but we’re trying to become a Sharks team with a DNA in the way we want to play and the way we want to be as a squad,” the 23-year-old said.
“I think we’re certainly heading in the right direction. It’s just very important now going into the season that we do our best to show that on the pitch.”
That DNA is being shaped on and off the field, with the Sharks also having rebranded as the Sharks Rugby Club during the off-season.
Vincent Koch and Phepsi Buthelezi have been appointed club captains, with an emphasis on strengthening a high-performance culture built around discipline, accountability and respect.
Hatton believes the extensive pre-season has allowed the squad to lay the groundwork for that culture.
“In this pre-season, the big group we’ve had and then guys joining from the Currie Cup, it’s really exciting where we’re going,” he said.
“In the pre-season, we’ve been challenged a lot by the coaches in terms of stuff we’re trying to do on the field. And then as players, we’re trying to challenge each other off it.”
As one of the leaders of the new-look Sharks, Hatton knows he has a responsibility to ensure those standards are maintained throughout what promises to be a demanding campaign.
“It’s a long season, and we need a strong leadership group,” he said.
“We’re all trying to drive the standards of the club and drive the culture, on and off the field. We’ve worked hard as a squad in the pre-season to build our culture and build cohesion and spend a lot of time together.”
The Sharks’ slow start last season ultimately proved costly, despite their strong finish, and Hatton stressed the importance of avoiding a repeat.
“The URC is a long tournament, so the strength of the squad is really important; that’s what we’re working hard on during the pre-season,” he said.
“Things like competition for places and just building a nice strong squad that can compete in the EPCR Challenge Cup and URC.
“Again, we must start well and stick to it. We want to be a consistent team and perform to a Sharks standard, which is something that we’re driving hard and we’re trying to implement that onto the field now.”
For Hatton, the opportunity to begin that process at home makes Saturday particularly significant.
“The start of the season is exciting, and playing the first match at home is really cool for us for a change,” he said.
“All teams in the URC want to start well, whether it’s home or away. The first few games are really important.
“We’ve worked hard this pre-season for this weekend and what’s to come, and we’re excited to play in front of our fans.”
