Gewde U20 'B' Knock Out competition. KwaZulu-Natal is also represented by the Durban University of Technology and the University of KwaZulu-Natal in the annual Varsity Cup/Varsity Shield competitions. Other teams In addition to the Sharks Currie Cup team, there are also other teams representing the KwaZulu-Natal Rugby Union in rugby competitions. The Duikers is a club affiliated to the KZNRU that field representative provincial youth and amateur teams, playing in annual matches against the Quaggas (a similar team out of Gauteng) and competing internationally in the Malaysia Tens. Until 2009, a second senior-tier provincial team was called the Natal Wildebeest, which competed against the Transvaal Rooibokke and later in the Vodacom Cup. In 2010, this team was brought into the professional Sharks set-up and renamed a Sharks XV. This team competes annually in the Vodacom Cup / Currie Cup qualification competitions. On 7 May 2021 the Sharks announced the Sharks Women team would take part in the South African Women's Premier Division following the failure of the 2020 season to launch during the Covid pandemic and its effect on local rugby in South Africa. The Sharks Academy The Sharks Academy claims to be the oldest rugby youth academy in South Africa. The Academy runs a 'gap year' style programme for overseas players, specifically aimed at school leavers. The academy, which is accredited by SA Rugby and backed by a strategic partnership with the Sharks, offers a full-time, three-year course designed for young people with a passion for rugby and a desire to forge a career in the sport. Players such as Keegan Daniel, Ryan Kankowski, Patrick Lambie, Tendai Mtawarira, Lwazi Mvovo, JP Pietersen and François Steyn are all graduates of the programme. The Sharks Region The Sharks catchment covers the province of KwaZulu-Natal. The two main cities from which most of its players are drawn are Durban and Pietermaritzburg. Current squad The following players were included in the Sharks squad for the 2022 Currie Cup Premier Division: Springboks (past and present) Cameron Christian Alf Walker Bill Payn Bertram van der Plank Bill Zeller Taffy Townsend Wally Clarkson Phil Nel Jacko Tod Ebbo Bastard Pat Lyster Cecil Moss Roy Dryburgh Keith Oxlee Ormond Taylor Don Walton Trix Truter Snowy Suter Tommy Bedford Rodney Gould Hannes Viljoen Piston van Wyk Ian McCallum Derek van den Berg Wynand Claassen Rudi Visagie Lood Muller Hugh Reece-Edwards Wahl Bartmann Robert du Preez (scrumhalf) John Allan