By Sharlene Packree
The next time the Sharks anthem reverberates through the on-field speakers at Durban's Absa Stadium, spare a thought for Andrew Darlington.
More than 10 years ago, Darlington had a brainwave and came up with the words for the Shark Attack song.
From that moment, the song and its lyrics "We are black, we are white, we are, we are dynamite", has become a permanent feature at the stadium when Durban's beloved Sharks take to the field.
The anthem is even popular when the Sharks play away games.
Darlington said it had been a dream of his to write a song for his favourite rugby team.
He mustered up the courage to approach the Natal Rugby Union (NRU) bosses and spoke to NRU chief executive officer Brian van Zyl about the song
"I have supported the Sharks for as long as I can remember. I approached the Natal Rugby Union and told them I wanted to create a song for the team," he said.
Darlington then met with the Sharks team and management to discuss his dream.
"Their response was amazing, they absolutely loved it. Mark Andrews told me the song was a great idea."
The song was produced by Neill Solomon and two videos were shot to promote it.
Some of the players featured in the video were Gary Teichmann, Ollie le Roux and Andre Joubert.
The song was featured on the album People of Natal and thousands of copies were snapped up by fans.
The Sharks were also the first rugby team in South Africa to have their own anthem. Other teams followed and created their own songs.
"All the players joined in and the song turned out great. I was so relieved that the players enjoyed singing it. It was my dream to make a song for them and their fans," said Darlington.
In 1996, when the Sharks won the Currie Cup, the players all sang the Shark Attack and it has been their anthem since then.
"It's great when I hear it being sung by thousands of fans.
"My skin tingles when I hear it. It's the most amazing feeling in the world," he said.