Outof the race for a Vodacom United Rugby Championship top eight finish, theHollywoodbets Sharks have put their faith in the inspirational Siya Masuku torebuild their home ground into a fortress.

The27-year-old flyhalf has taken a long road to the bright lights of Durban'sfabled arena, but Masuku did not hesitate when given the opportunity to make asplash at the Hollywoodbets Sharks.

Ridingthe wave of three successive man-of-the-match performances, four in his lastfive matches, Masuku has taken just four Vodacom URC starts to show his value as thechief playmaker in Durban.

HisHollywoodbets Sharks debut came in a 29-minute cameo off the bench in thecoastal derby against the DHL Stormers at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Round 10,inspiring a turnaround that almost shocked the reigning two-time SA Shieldchampions.

Entrustedwith the No 10 jersey against Ulster in Round 12, Masuku kicked sevenpoints to help the Hollywoodbets Sharks stop a five game-slump.Their 22-12 win against Ulster was their first league win since November 2023.

Sincethat victory, the Hollywoodbets Sharks have put together a four-game winningstreak at home, with Masuku at the centre of the remarkable turnaround.

Masuku’sability to thrive in the spotlight should come as no surprise, given how hardhe has had to work to earn the opportunity.

Poachedfrom North-West University as a youth player by the Emirates Lions, Masuku wasa core part of a dominant under-20 and under-21 team during his time inJohannesburg, where he developed a range of attacking skills.

However,with the Emirates Lions enjoying a golden era under Johan Ackermann,opportunities at a senior level were limited.

Masukuwould get a first taste of Vodacom URC rugby at the Southern Kings, but his term in theEastern Cape was short lived and he found himself playing amateur rugbyfor club side Rustenberg Impala, where he won the 2019 National Inter Club GoldCup, before taking up a six-month move to Spain.

Leftwith few options, Masuku was thrown a career lifeline by the Toyota Cheetahs in2021. He wasted little time in repaying the faith placed in him, helping theBloemfontein side progress to the EPCR Challenge Cup playoffs in the 2022-23season and winning South Africa’s domestic Currie Cup title in 2023.

Thissuccess resulted in a dream move to the Hollywoodbets Sharks, which wassomething of a homecoming as he was raised in Paulpietersburg, a small town 370kilometres north of Durban on the northern border of KwaZulu-Natal.

However,playing opportunities were scarce at first under incoming coach John Plumtreewho opted to trust experienced players in his first few months back at thehelm.

Itwasn't until February that Masuku got the nod to make his debut, and he hasmore than made up for lost time, proving why Hollywoodbets Sharks fans were soexcited about his move to the coast.

Manof the match in the EPCR Challenge Cup playoff wins against Zebre Parma,Edinburgh and Clermont - as well as the Vodacom URC win against Scarlets in Llanelli -Masuku is on a hot streak and currently sits on 86 points scored in nineappearances in all competitions.

Fromcross-kick try-assists to 50-metre penalties that bend like a David Beckhamfree-kick, Masuku has a bunch of tricks and is very comfortable attacking thegainline when needed.

"Siya'sa lovely story ... he's played well on the big stage," John Plumtree toldreporters after the comeback win over Clermont. The Sharks trailed 31-18 to win32-31, thanks to Masuku's touchline conversion.

"I'mjust really happy for him. He's a very humble character. He feels very honouredto be playing in this jersey and making the most of hisopportunities. "He's still going to get better," Plumtree added.

"Hisskill set can improve, his passing can improve and he can improve as anathlete. He hasn't reached anywhere near his ceiling yet.

"He'sa confident little player. His kicking is great. When he goes for touch, hedoesn't just try for 30 metres, he looks for 40 metres.

"Ilove his attitude around the game and the players like him. He is riding thecrest of the wave at the moment."

TheChallenge Cup final aside, the Hollywoodbets Sharks have three successive homematches to complete their Vodacom URC league commitments. Victory in all three wouldextend the winning sequence to seven and that's a number that can be regardedas a streak and from the streak will come talk of the Shark Tank once againbecoming a danger to visiting teams, and a Fortress to those wearing the Sharksjersey.

Themagical Masuku will be primary to any such streak.

Startingwith a clash against Benetton on Saturday afternoon, Masuku’s magic will becentral to the Hollywoodbets Sharks ending their campaign on a high note.