Pre-Season Friendly – French Tour – Featured Durban Blog

“This weekend’s game is a nice opportunity to test ourselves and see how far we’ve come, with what’s been quite a lengthy pre-season. We’ve selected a strong side against what should be a good Toulon team.

“It’s a great opportunity for youngsters such as Jean-Luc and Daniel du Preez to get their first start in the Super Rugby squad. The guys are really excited and I know that we will be a bit rusty in comparison to a Toulon team that are mid-season and have been playing together for a few months, but’s that the type of challenge we wanted.”
– Gary Gold, Cell C Sharks Director of Rugby

Toulon vs. Cell C Sharks                                 

Date                                        : Friday, 5 February 2016
Time                                        : 20h30 (GMT+1)
Venue                                      : Stade Mayol, Toulon, France

Notes

*Supersport has confirmed that the match will not be televised.

The Sharks have launched The Sharks Institute which is a home away from home for junior contracted players and an opportunity to provide them with world class accommodation in a professional environment.

Investing in the youth and giving them the tools to reach their potential and develop into world class athletes is what The Sharks endeavour to do on an ongoing basis. By providing top class coaching and training methods, as well as state of the art facilities, every junior player in the system is given the chance to one day feature for the Cell C Sharks, and even perhaps get to represent their country.

And now The Sharks have added further to sustaining the young players’ needs with the introduction of The Sharks Institute.

To complement their training regime comes a focus on their well-being as far as accommodation and nutrition goes. To perform at his peak, an athlete must not only develop physically, but also mentally and emotionally, in  an environment where he feels happy and comfortable.

Previously, junior contracted players were accommodated in different houses, Bed and Breakfasts or rented rooms in rugby houses, in different areas around Durban. However, with the leasing of the Quarters Hotel premises – which is now known as The Sharks Institute – all junior players can now be housed in one set-up, in a professional environment, rather than being split between numerous locations.

In this way, their nutritional needs are taken care of properly, and on an emotional level, the players all have the opportunity to bond with all other similarly aged and playing level team mates.

The Sharks Institute is proudly sponsored by the Fidelity Security Group.  The Sharks would like to thank Wahl Bartmann and his team for their generous contribution in securing our future stars.

This is the perfect way of not only making them feel a part of the greater Sharks family, but achieving this in a professional environment away from training, but never far from The Sharks’ brand.