Matt Romao comes from Springbok in the Northern Cape and attended Drostdy Technical High School in Worcester, where his performances earned Boland selection for the 2023 Craven Week and, from there, a place in the South Africa Schools side. He joined the Sharks academy in 2024, was picked for the SA U19s that year, helped the Sharks U21s win the 2025 U21 Cup, and represented the Junior Springboks at U20 level in 2025.
Romao made his Currie Cup debut for the Sharks in the 2024 Premier Division and featured again in 2025, before graduating to the full Sharks side in the 2025/26 URC against Connacht. In January 2026 he announced himself in Europe, named Man of the Match as the Sharks beat Clermont in the Champions Cup.
Freshly turned 21, the abrasive loose forward is one of the most exciting graduates of the Sharks pathway heading into 2026/27.
