BY SPORTSCAST WRITER
HARARE – Tino Mavesere has ended speculation about his Sharks future by signing a new three-year contract.
The 26-year-old Zimbabwe international has been re-signed alongside Springboks World Cup-winner Makazole Mapimpi, with rookies Phatu Ganyane and Ethan Bester being promoted from the Durban franchise’s youth structures.
There had been talk of Mavesere potentially moving away from South Africa to Europe in pursuit of regular game-time.
The Zimbabwean loose-forward was dropped from the squad for Saturday’s 25-22 home win over Lions in the United Rugby Championship, just two weeks after the Sables maestro produced a man-of-the-match display in Sharks’ 29-19 defeat of Bulls in Pretoria. Being left out of the side on Saturday came after fellow back-row and Springboks captain Siya Kolisi returned to the Sharks starting line-up following a lengthy absence, further fueling the speculation over Mavesere’s future at Kings Park Stadium.
Sharks director of rugby Neil Powell and defence coach Joey Mongalo however revealed that Mavesere is still very much part of Sharks’ plans, showering the Zimbabwean with praise.
“Such a personification of work ethic, resilience, somebody who just keeps fighting,” Mongalo said in a video released by the franchise on Monday.
“Really happy for him as an individual but it also reflects the type of character that we are trying to build at the Sharks, people who just never go away, people who just keep fighting and show character irrespective of the result.”
Mavesere initially signed for Sharks in 2021 but had to wait for two years to make his senior team debut in the Currie Cup. Sharks have retained him in an effort to build continuity.
“It’s no secret out there that when you keep a core group of players together over a long period of time, their chances of being successful are a lot higher,” commented Powell.
“The great thing about Tino is he’s an unbelievable person and I think the way he plays his game, everybody saw the last two weekends, the effort that he puts in and how he is committed to the Sharks cause, it’s actually fantastic. We’ve managed to retain the services of Tino Mavesere. I think he’s somebody who is still developing and somebody that will make a name for himself in that (number) 6 jersey for the Sharks in the future.”
The new Sharks contract is a continuation of a purple patch for Mavesere, who last year bagged two major silverware with both club and country. Mavesere was a key member of the Zimbabwe team that won the Africa Cup in July 2024, the Sables’ second continental title, before playing a role in the Sharks’ Currie Cup glory two months later.
*This website is in partnership with AfricaBet. Please place your bets on the link below:
