Durban - With the international season for 2017 now a thing of the post, attention will slowly start turning towards a new edition of Super Rugby in 2018.
And while most of us are winding down at work with one eye on the festive season, South Africa's four Super Rugby franchises are hard at work preparing for the new season.
The Sharks posted a video to their Twitter page on Tuesday that showed just how physical their training has been.
Players can be seen running up and down the notoriously steep grand-stands at Kings Park while also getting through some physically demanding routines.
Conditioning has always been a massive focus for coach Robert du Preez, and it seems to be no different this time around.
"I can promise you the boys are working very hard in this pre-season," prop Thomas du Toit said.
"We've come back for a great four-week block of pre-season and it's been pretty tough," added loose forward Keegan Daniel.
"It's been a bit different ... incorporating a lot of rugby skills and training and not just the usual flat-out running stuff."
The Sharks, who were eliminated in the quarter-finals of last year's competition at Ellis Park against the Lions, will open their 2018 account at the same venue on February 17.
#OurSharks have been putting in the hard yards in a gruelling pre-season training regime in preparation for 2018. @TankduToit @KeeganDaniel #Training @SARugbymag #SuperRugby pic.twitter.com/7OGrKDcsTn
— The Sharks (@TheSharksZA) December 12, 2017
