Sharks have acted swiftly to ensure South Africa international Jean-Luc du Preez remains with the Durban outfit amid rumours of rivals Bulls showing interest on the flanker.
Crusaders came up with a scintillating performance as they defeated Sharks 40-10 at AMI Stadium on Saturday to progress to the semi-final of the ongoing Super Rugby season.
Crusaders prop Joe Moody has been ruled out of the upcoming Super Rugby quarter-final clash against Sharks next weekend after he failed to recover from a knee injury.
Sharks progressed to the play-off of the Super Rugby after edging out Sharks with a 20-10 victory in the final round at Kings Park Stadium on Saturday.
Sharks failed to capitalise on the defeat of Jaguares as they suffered a 27-16 defeat to Stormers in their Super Rugby encounter at DHL Newlands on Saturday.
The 17th week of the ongoing Super Rugby season saw Jaguares stretch their winning streak to seven games while Blues and Sunwolves had rare victories as the battle for play-off heats up.
Sharks made an incredible second-half comeback as they came from behind to register a 31-24 win over Lions in their Super Rugby encounter at Kings Park Stadium on Saturday.
Sharks lock Ruan Botha has been handed a four-week ban following the red-card incident in the recently concluded Super Rugby game against Jaguares at Estadio Jose Amalfitani last weekend.
Ngani Laumape scored a vital try in the added minutes while Ihaia West added the decisive conversion as Hurricanes went on to register a thrilling 38-37 win over Sharks in their Super Rugby clash in Napier.
Sharks will miss the services of Jacques Vermeulen for the next two games after the flanker was suspended for two weeks for a dangerous play during the recently concluded Super Rugby clash against Rebels.
Sharks slumped to a second successive defeat in Australia as their Super Rugby season plunged into further crisis following a 46-14 defeat against Rebels in Melbourne on Friday.