Sharks stand by 20-year-old fullback for crunch clash against Bulls

Jaco Williams may have played only five matches for the Sharks senior side, but coach JP Pietersen is backing the youngster to play at fullback in their crucial match against the Bulls on Saturday.

The slim and fast 20-year-old has only featured at wing for the Durban union this season, as well as for the Junior Springboks during their triumphant U20 World Championship last year.

He recently shone in the second victory against the Stormers, chasing a ball into the in-goal area and diving to score a try before Warrick Gelant could ground it properly. He even earned a spot in Rassie Erasmus’ first Springbok alignment camp of 2026.

Williams’ primary position at youth level was 15, and Pietersen said the Sharks backed him at fullback.

Youngster among Springboks

The coach named a strong starting XV for their United Rugby Championship derby against the Bulls at Loftus (kick-off 5pm).

Springboks André Esterhuizen, Ox Nché, Vincent Koch, Phepsi Buthelezi, Jordan Hendrikse and Makazole Mapimpi returned to the starting line-up as the Sharks hoped to secure a win to give them their second-ever URC South African Shield.

However, Aphelele Fassi’s shoulder injury sees Williams start at 15 and Yaw Penxe waiting on the bench.

While the Sharks returned from their URC break last week, losing 34-22 to the Lions at Ellis Park, the Bulls used their extra week off to play a friendly with Boland in the Western Cape. Despite fielding 12 Springboks for the game, the Bulls were pushed, ultimately scraping home 31-24.

The Pretoria union are equally determined to win and protect their place in the URC top eight, while keeping their SA Shield hopes alive.

Springbok flyer Edwill van der Merwe, who will play right wing on Saturday, backed Williams to hold his own in the back three.

“Jaco is an exciting player. He is a bit quiet still but I enjoy him a lot,” Van der Merwe said.

“He brings a lot of excitement to the team. We saw what he could do against the Stormers. When we really needed to close out the game, he brought that moment of magic.

“It’s been incredible to see him grow these past couple of weeks. I think he’s got a lot of potential to reach incredible heights.”

Williams brings competition to more than just the Sharks

Van der Merwe said he didn’t feel the need to take Williams under his wing, as the youngster often spoke with coach Pietersen, “who can probably give a lot better advice than I can”.

The wing added that Williams and Cheswill Jooste, being part of last year’s Junior Springbok side and starting to shine for their unions, brought healthy competition to the Springbok setup.

“If I think back to when I was his age, it’s always been a dream of mine to play for the senior team. I took a bit longer to play senior rugby but I think what he’s doing is incredible at such a young age.”