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Afrikaners upset Daniel

Cape Town - Sharks captain Keegan Daniel is reportedly unhappy that there are too many Afrikaners involved in Sharks rugby.

The Beeld website reports that this statement, apparently made recently by the Sharks skipper, has upset the majority of the players.

It has led to a divide in the Sharks team, who have lost their last five Super Rugby games. They are currently languishing at 11th spot on the overall Super Rugby log.

Only six players out of the 22-man squad which lost 32-17 to the Reds in Brisbane last week are not Afrikaans. They are Daniel, Lwazi Mvovo, Patrick Lambie, Kyle Cooper, Odwa Ndungane and Monde Hadebe.

According to Beeld's sources, Daniel feels isolated leading the team, which apparently also has so-called "cliques" among its ranks.

Furthermore, there appears to be trouble in the Sharks boardroom as well, which led to a so-called "Operation Cleanout", with Sharks CEO Brian van Zyl being the first victim.

Van Zyl will be replaced by former Springbok captain John Smit, who will start his new role on July 1. Sharks coach John Plumtree and commercial manager Rudolf Straeuli are apparently the next targets.

Smit last week told a Sunday newspaper the toughest part of his new job will be to "make decisions about the future of people I know and had a close working relationship with in the past."

The Sharks are currently in Perth where they conclude their Australasian tour with a game against the Force on Friday (13:45 SA time).

Follow-up to Daniel's reported comments:

Daniel tweet douses 'fire'

Sharks issue Daniel statement
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