The price the Sharks will pay for the loss of Butch James, who has signed to play for Bath, amounts to 102 caps worth of experience.
James played 45 Currie Cup matches and 57 Super rugby matches, and the loss of his services on top of John Smit's leaving to play for Cleremont-Ferrand only adds to the sense of unease Sharks fans must feel.
The Sharks have reacted to James's decision with carefully chosen words that suggest they do not regard his loss as the catastrophe the team's supporters might see it to be.
"We are mindful of the fact that Butch will be going into what is one the most strenuous tournaments of his playing career (at the World Cup), and with his history of bad knee injuries we had to make a sound business decision to restrict our offer to a one-year contract," said Sharks Chief Executive Brian van Zyl. "This paled against a two-year pound-euro deal."
Besides, Van Zyl seemed to say, the Sharks' flyhalf cupboard was far from bare.
"Butch has delivered more than we could ask for, but the time has come to allow him a lucrative swansong and to invest the same money in the new and exciting talent we have coming through," Van Zyl said. "We believe we have sufficient cover at flyhalf in the form of Francois Steyn and Frank Michalak." - MWP