Sean Everitt and his Sharks XV team will head to Newcastle on Friday for an exhibition match against a Newcastle Highlanders Invitational XV. The match will serve as the final warm-up fixture for the Sharks XV ahead of the Vodacom Cup, as well as be part of a day of activities aimed at bringing Sharks rugby to the region.
The trip to Newcastle is just the first of a set of such visits that the Sharks XV will undertake over the course of February and March, with the aim being to take the Sharks brand to further-flung corners of the KwaZulu Natal province and unite fans in support of the team.
The Currie Cup trophy will travel along with the side and will arrive at The Newcastle Golf Club at 09h00, where it will be the focal point of activities, including a businessmen’s golf day. For the ordinary public, though, Goldrock Casino is the place to be and the Cup will arrive there at 11h30, in time for the start of six hours of festivities that will include Sharkie (the Sharks mascot) and the chance to win fabulous Sharks merchandise and other prizes.
The match itself takes place at Lammergeyer Rugby Club, kicking off at 18h30. Tickets can be bought at Trevor Smith Sports in Newcastle for R20 per adult and R5 per scholar. There will be additional curtain-raiser games starting at 15h15 and the Currie Cup trophy will also be at the Club from 17h30 onwards.
We’d like to encourage ALL Newcastle-based Sharks fans to get out there and show their support.

At last something is happening up in ‘further-flung corners of the KwaZulu Natal province’
Dit is darem nie heeltemal in die boendoes nie! 5th largest city in KZN and all!
Just a correction Rob…it’s Blackrock casino.
Let me know when you have the team announcements please.
Any other people from Newcastle reading Sharksworld?
The Sharks have already penetrated the nether regions of Northern Natal. I was in that area last year and somewhere between Newcastle and Vryheid there was a massive Sharks sign at a farm gate.
Hey Pokkel, do you know if Trevor Smith is still personally involved with the sports shop.
@Salmonoid (Comment 4) : hehehehe… It’s actually one of my clients…the sign has faded a bit now. Did you see the bull skull under the Sharks’s arm?
@Pokkel (Comment 3) : ja beslis, and loving it. best blog in town
@Salmonoid (Comment 5) : Mr. Smith is still going and still running the shop. I see him regularly and he is such a wonderful person.
@Pokkel (Comment 3) : Hi Pokkel!! I’m from Newcastle and still love it here! 🙂
Hope these guys do really well. They could even be a Lions developement team.
@franshark (Comment 7) : @Reds (Comment 9) : The undercover Newcastle bloggers coming out now!! Good stuff 😀
@Speed7 (Comment 10) : We’ll send the leftovers!
@Pokkel (Comment 11) : I’m not undercover!! just haven’t chat for a while!! but read every piece of info Rob and the guys gives through 😮
Thanks. We don’t have an academy yet.
@Speed7 (Comment 14) : Any Deysel’s up there that you can’t see the talent in that you want to send over to the Sharks? 😉
What`s this about JP and Odwa that might not be available against FS ?! Crises!!
@Pokkel (Comment 6) : Didnt see the Bulls skull, it would have made the moment more enjoyable.
@Pokkel (Comment 8) :
I met him and his wife (Jean, I think) at Sodwana on different occassions. Really nice people and glad to hear he is still going strong.
@Salmonoid (Comment 18) : Big man and huge hands. He used to play lock for Natal many years ago.
Lots. But the problem is that he juiced too hard. Big muscles and small joints never work together. Hence th breakdowns and injuries.
@Salmonoid (Comment 18) : Sorry replied to the wrong comment. The big guy is the farmer with the Sharks sign.
Sadly Mr. Smith’s wife passed away 2 years ago. 😥
@Speed7 (Comment 10) : Dude it’s only called a development side if the top players are used.
You TRY and get the top players but have not succeeded ONCE.
The only development we did was cause you to develop new buying strategies from OTHER teams. 😛
@Original Champion (Comment 16) : Yes,I also just read it.
J.P Hamstring niggle and Odwa sick.
No shark player bashing,this is Sharksworld. 🙄
hahaha .and we’ll keep on tryimg .
just wondering . i may be wrong .you guys thought Mapoe was a top player when you stole him .
@Speed7 (Comment 26) : you guys bought him from the cheetahs not the sharks, try again
Whatever. With your 2 sicknotes he should have been starting for you in Durban.
@Speed7 (Comment 25) : will you also keep on trying to spell big words? 😛
@Speed7 (Comment 26) :
Don’t you have to actually PLAY for a side to undergo development?
Jeez. Are you one of those guys who go around checking grammar ? Really ? That boring ?
@KSA Shark © (Comment 29) : KSA please change the name ‘Goldrock’ casino to ‘Blackrock’ casino.
@Speed7 (Comment 28) : Hehehehe You guys took the sicknote back when we dropped him at the end of last year.
It’s good to aspire to bigger and better things in life, but you guy should stick to things that you have SOME hope of actually achieving and I’m afraid buy a top Sharks player is not one of those things.
@Pokkel (Comment 31) : am on my phone during the day as SW is blocked at work. can only do so from a PC. 🙁 will do so if it hasn’t been changed by the time I get home 3hrs from now.
Maybe you’re right. Only the future will tell.
@Speed7 (Comment 30) : your grammar was fine you spelling was on a par with the contracts the lions give players. 😉
@KSA Shark © (Comment 32) :
Moan a Lisa Moan a Lisa 😉
@csb (Comment 36) :
Hehehehehehehehehe
@Speed7 (Comment 26) : Sharks never stole Mapoe. He arrived, all broken, on their doorstep, like a thrown away child, or a Trojan horse or even an asp with a forked tongue.
@Pokkel (Comment 31) : it has been done. My apologies!
Guess casino and gold just go together.
some of the older servants of natal rugby from up north. i have probably left lots of names out but maybe you guys can add to the list.
peter quested – fullback
lappies labuschagne – lock
nic labuschagne – prop
paul kok – flyhalf
norman searle – scrumhalf
trix truter – wing
henry honniball – flyhalf
andre joubert – fullback
some youngsters originally from up north
fred zeilinger – sharks academy
ricky schnetler – leopards/pukke
ethan searle – lions/uj
try and add to the list
@prgdad (Comment 40) :
In the 80s there was a very promising lock from Escourt, sadly he got testicular cancer and had to stop playing.
Provincial rugby but not Natal –
Thys Lourens – Vryheid high – played for Ntvl – Boks
Nico Barnard, also Vryheid HS, played for Orange Free State.
is vleis engelbrecht part of the sharks xv squad?
@try time (Comment 43) : Dont think so..
@Pokkel (Comment 1) : I sure I saw in the reports in the papers on the new mall being developed there that Newcastle was 3rd biggest city in KZN.
@Culling Song (Comment 45) :
Okay well let’s go through the cities.
Dbn
Pmb
Richardsbay
Empangeni
Ladysmith
Newcastle
MAYBE Empangeni can be pulled out there. I haven’t been there in a while, So i think 5 or 6 is about right.
At some stage of its life Newcastle was the fastest growing city in South Africa.
@try time (Comment 43) : no
@KSA Shark © (Comment 46) : Newcastle is 5th behind Durban Maritzburg R/bay and Port Shepstone. Newcastle is way bigger than Ladysmith
@robdylan (Comment 48) : oh, the reason i asked is i see he isn’t part of the sharks 30 man squad, so i assumed he has been drafted into the sharks xv.
@Pokkel (Comment 49) : Port Shepstone!? 😯
@Pokkel (Comment 49) : I forgot about Sheppie!
The Toti boys must be pissed. They mos call themselves Amanzimtexas nowadays. 😆
I went to Trevor Smith store yesterday to buy my tickets and tried on the SupeRugby Sharks jersey!! It’s not made for my physique. If John Smit looks that good in that jersey he must be in good shape!
@Pokkel (Comment 53) :
I had to go for XXXL. 😯
HEY are there any WHITE XXLs in the shop? They are sold out and i need a white one to go with my black one.
@Pokkel (Comment 53) : so it isn’t as sexy on you as the pink jobbie. 😉
@KSA Shark © (Comment 54) : i saw the black one in mr price sports pav. but i don’t recall seeing any white. the worst thing about the sharks jersey is the super ugby logo on the sleeve. it is ugly.
@try time (Comment 56) :
There were plenty of white ones around when I was in SA, but couldn’t find any XXXLs
I see sneakers are sold out of the white ones completely.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 54) : They didn’t have any white ones I also asked. I’m usually a L and the XL looked OK but not so great when you it down….too many beer rolls 😳
@try time (Comment 55) : I’ve never worn my pink jobbie!
You really are jealous that I got the pink one aren’t you? 😉
@KSA Shark © (Comment 57) : i’ll keep an eye out for you next time i am at the pav. the super ugby logo should look better on the white jersey as you won’t be able to see the big white square the logo is on.
@Pokkel (Comment 59) : no i just like getting mileage out of it. 😆 once the s15 season is underway, i would have forgotten about it.
@try time (Comment 61) : If you tell yourself that enough times you’ll probably start believing it! 😆
@Pokkel (Comment 62) : what are we talking about? 😆
@try time (Comment 60) : cool.