The Champion Tour – an initiative by the South African Rugby Union to celebrate rugby with supporters after a momentous 2009 season – arrives in the province on 18 March having traversed the length and breadth of the country over the past few weeks.

On Sunday, members of The Sharks squad joined other current and former rugby stars, including Wallaby captain John Eales for a rugby clinic to provide youngsters with some skills training.

Following the loss to the Waratahs on Saturday, The Sharks take stock of their tour, now two matches into a five match trip with the Brumbies remaining on Australian soil before heading back to New Zealand to play the Hurricanes and Highlanders.

For Sharks loose-forward Willem Alberts, Saturday’s narrow loss to the Waratahs was a huge disappointment, but he believes the team are making good progress towards securing a win.

The Sharks XV lost a thriller of a Vodacom Cup match against Western Province in Cape Town 26-23 in a match they will probably feel was theirs for the taking.

The Sharks were forced to stomach a 25-21 loss to the Waratahs in Sydney after the game looked to be sewn up with a couple of minutes left on the clock, but in quite controversial circumstances, the victory was not to be.

Catch the match action and updates of the Vodacom Super 14 match between The Sharks and Waratahs being played in Sydney, live from 10.40am on Saturday 6 March, 2010.

With the difficult run of results in the Vodacom Super 14, Sharks coach John Plumtree admitted that the mood in the camp obviously has to be strong or it could spiral into negativity and Saturday’s match against the Waratahs presents the perfect opportunity to turn their fortunes around.

Following last week’s 69-8 victory over the Border Bulldogs which propelled them to the top of the South Section log in the opening week of the Vodacom Cup, The Sharks XV travel to Cape Town to take on Western Province on Saturday . . .

Sharks coach John Plumtree has made a few changes to the side to take on the Waratahs in their Round Four Vodacom Super 14 match in Sydney on Saturday (10.40am kick-off SA time).