Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus will have some sleepless nights after record-breaking lock Eben Etzebeth suffered another injury setback.
Etzebeth suffered a knee or upper leg injury during the Sharks’ 22-39 United Rugby Championship loss to the Stormers in Cape Town this past weekend.
The lock picked up the knock in the first half and was treated and strapped by the Sharks’ medics before trying to soldier on. He was forced off the field in the 36th minute (limping and unable to run).
The Sharks’ rookie flyhalf Vusi Moyo also suffered a dislocated shoulder during the first half, adding more misery to the team’s painful trip to Cape Town.
Moyo sustained the injury in the 18th minute while attempting a tackle in his 22-metre area.
Although he initially tried to fight through the pain, he had to be replaced and was later spotted on the team bench with his arm in a sling.
JP Pietersen confirmed the dislocation after the match, and the team is currently awaiting further assessments from the medical staff to determine exactly how long he will be sidelined.
Pietersen indicated Etzebeth’s injury appears to be a painful knee or upper leg bruise, though full medical scans and an official recovery timeline are still pending.
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“Eben hurt something with his knee or upper leg,” the coach said.
“I’m not too sure, but it looks painful. Maybe it’s a bruise on his knee.
“I’m not a doctor, but he’s in pain. He couldn’t run, so we had to make the substitution.”
The Sharks now head to France, where Lyon Olympique Universitaire, or LOU as they are more commonly known, host the South Africa franchise at the Matmut Stadium in Lyon in a European Challenge Cup match.
For the Sharks, it is a tricky trip to the Matmut Stadium in Lyon.
After some early season promise, with victories over Ospreys (41-24) and Leinster (26-20), their humbling loss to the Stormers 22-39) resulted in some questions about their ability to sustain significant form to be title contenders.
The trip to France is going to answer some of those questions.
“When we lost Vusi and Eben, the score was still 8-8, and we had a scrum on our ball, and it ended up in a scrum penalty from which the Stormers went to the corner and scored.
“We also conceded two yellow cards in the first half, and it put us under massive pressure.
“Losing momentum with two key guys off, our No. 10, who is the main playmaker and Eben, obviously, with the forwards, and then defending with 13 players against a really good Stormers team.”
