WATCH: Former Sharks player saves shark from death

Cape Town - Extraordinary scenes played out recently on a beach in KwaZulu-Natal when former Sharks hooker Kyle Cooper saved the life of a shark while fishing.

While holidaying in the province during a break from his now English club, Newcastle Falcons, Cooper, 30, was fishing with his brother, Keagan, 27, when his rod bent over double.

According to the IOL website, after an almighty battle to reel in what he had snared, Cooper was shocked to see one of the ocean's most dangerous species of shark, the Zambezi shark, had taken his bait.

The brothers were determined to return it safely to the Indian Ocean, but waves had stranded it high up the sandy beach.

The Cooper brothers decided there was only one thing to do - drag the 2.1m, 120kg monster back down the beach and swim it back out to sea.

Kyle applied a strap around the shark’s tail fin and the brothers then dragged the shark down the beach.

They battled as waves crashed over them and threatened to beach the shark again, but after a while they got it into deeper water and shortly thereafter with a kick of its tail the shark headed off through the surf, free to roam the ocean once again.

The incredible scenes were captured on video by Shane Cooper, the father of the two hero's, and the video which was uploaded to Facebook has subsequently gone viral with over 75 000 views.

Educated at Glenwood High, Kyle Cooper made five appearances for the SA under-20 side in 2009.

Thereafter, Cooper played 52 Currie Cup and 48 Super Rugby matches for the Sharks between 2010 and 2016 before heading to England where he signed with the Falcons.

After an outstanding 2017/18 season, Cooper was named in the Premiership Dream Team.