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"I’m hoping it’s just a hematoma that might come right even before the weekend," coach John Plumtree said. "He’s a pretty quick healer. Hopefully, nothing sinister."
Sharks captain Eben Etzebeth is taken off the field in the first half against Ospreys. Picture: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images
The only drawback of the Sharks’ bonus-point United Rugby Championship win against Ospreys on Friday night was the injury sustained by Eben Etzebeth.
The home side’s captain appeared to hurt his knee during a cleanout in the first half. He was tended to by paramedics before playing for three more minutes. Finally, he gave in to the obvious pain he was in and was taken off by the paramedics in a golf cart.
He later appeared on the sidelines on crutches.
This comes at a particularly difficult time for the World Rugby and SA Rugby Player of the Year nominee after he was out for five months due to failed concussion tests earlier in the season. Then, the club captain missed the Ulster game two weeks ago due to flu, only to be taken off injured now.
“I’m hoping it’s just a hematoma that might come right even before the weekend,” head coach John Plumtree said after the game. “He’s a pretty quick healer. Hopefully, nothing sinister.”
He said they would only know more after Etzebeth receives a scan.
“You could see he was just trying to push through it. But he was too sore. At half-time, I spoke to him and he had been feeling a bit better.”
After the game, stand-in captain Siya Kolisi said he had not spoken to Etzebeth but it was “hopefully nothing serious”.
“He’s a hard man, so if something is bothering him we’d rather be safe than sorry,” Kolisi said.
The Sharks put in a commanding performance against Ospreys, winning four tries to one (final score 29–10). This was enough to guarantee their place in the top four on the URC log despite having one final regular season match against Scarlets next weekend.
Finishing in the top four offers the advantage of a home quarter-final at the end of the month. Should the Sharks finish even higher – and this is possible after the Bulls and Glasgow Warriors play some tough upcoming fixtures – they would play against a team finishing lower on the log in the quarter-final.
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