"We knew it would be ugly," says Sharks boss John Plumtree

The Durban franchise rolled out a matchday squad featuring 17 Springboks and were comprehensively defeated 34-26 by a drilled Ulster team in front of their home fans on Saturday.

The defeat with away losses to the Glasgow Warriors, Leinster and a dour draw to the lowly Dragons. The Sharks have three log points for their season so far.

Speaking to the press after the match, Plumtree did not mince his words.

"No one showed up out there for us," he said.

"Collectively and individually, we weren't good enough. No one deserves to be singled out in that performance."

"We don't have any excuses. We knew it would be ugly. Last season, when we returned from our overseas tour to face Glasgow Warriors, we strung together a good performance.

"We can't go into that space. We have to be hard on ourselves and look at the reasons why [we lost] and in which areas we can be better.

"That comes down to our preparation with the coaches and everyone involved. That's a big loss for us tonight.

"Then you lose Ruan Dreyer with a serious knee injury, and [Makazole] Mapimpi could be out for a while now [through possible suspension], which could get ugly for us. It's a real tough night for us."

The Sharks will be searching for their first win of their URC campaign when they host the Scarlets next Saturday