Relief for the Sharks: Eben Etzebeth recovers from injury
The good news is that Springbok superstar Eben Etzebeth appears ready to be welcomed back from a knee injury.
It’s been an extremely challenging season to date for the Sharks, with just one win in the United Rugby Championship leaving them rock bottom in the standings.
The good news for next season is that some top signings have been made, with coach John Plumtree having clearly identified key players he feels can take the team back to the top echelon of South African rugby.
However, it’s also evident that the Sharks are determined to ensure that they restore some pride this season, and the good news is that Springbok superstar Eben Etzebeth appears ready to be welcomed back from a knee injury.
After recently receiving the SA Rugby Player of the Year award, the powerful lock confirmed he would soon be available, and his presence at a media engagement on Tuesday indicated as much.
“We haven’t had a good season and there are no excuses,” Etzebeth said in an audio clip shared by the Sharks. “We need to take a hard look at ourselves as individuals and as a collective because I do think we work hard.
“There are plans in place, but we haven’t executed them, which is very disappointing, but that’s something we’ll look to rectify for the rest of the season and target the Challenge Cup. We need to make the best of what remains this season.”
The Sharks’ next URC match is against Irish side Ulster in Durban on Saturday, 23 March (15:00), which will be followed by a visit from Edinburgh (30 March).
A great disappointment for the Sharks has been the fact they once again seem unlikely to earn progression to the elite Champions Cup via the URC qualification.
However, this could be achieved if they defy the odds by winning the Challenge Cup.
“The Challenge Cup now becomes our way of getting into the Champions Cup because I don’t think a top-eight finish in the URC is possible anymore,” Etzebeth added.
“That’s disappointing for this stage of the season, but we’ll be looking to end strong because we have pride in wearing the jersey and that’s what motivates the guys not to give up.”
Looking ahead to next season, there are set to be some notable player movements, as outlined below.
SHARKS INCOMINGS:
- Andre Esterhuizen
- Jason Jenkins
- Trevor Nyakane
- Jordan Hendrikse
- Emmanuel Tshituka
OUTGOINGS:
- Hyron Andrews (Sale Sharks, loan)
- Rohan Janse van Rensburg (Canon Eagles)
- Le Roux Roets (Sale Sharks)
- Werner Kok (Ulster)
Although focus has already begun to shift towards next season, Plumtree will want to see his side successfully start playing for pride.
“The Stormers, where they are right now as a team is where we want to be,” Plumtree told members of the media back in February.
“I just want us to get better and better and improve. It’s frustrating for me, because I haven’t had the opportunity to work with our full-strength pack, especially in these big derbies.
“There’s a difference between our first group and second group in what we’ve got. That’s a real challenge for us. We need to do well without our Springboks. We’ve had a lot of key players injured this year.
“If we can get more of them back, I reckon we will be a force. But we aren’t there yet. We will get there though.”