After the tightly contested first round Vodacom Super Rugby match played between the Cell C Sharks and the Emirates Lions at Emirates Airline Park last Saturday, the Cell C Sharks Team Doctor Alan Kourie has released an injury update.
Number 8, Daniel du Preez left the field just before halftime with a suspected shoulder injury and was sent for scans on Monday. The scans confirmed that he has a shoulder ligament tear and will be conservatively managed for four weeks.
Cameron Wright suffered a concussion and his return to training will be subject to him passing the graduated return to play protocol.
Replacement hooker, Akker van der Merwe had to leave the field in the last minute of the match with a mild elbow strain, but the good news is that he has recovered well and has already joined training.
Further good news is that scrumhalf Louis Schreuder is on track to join training next week followed by loose-forward Jean-Luc du Preez, who is set to return to action in March.
The Cell C Sharks have a competition bye this week and will return to Vodacom Super Rugby action next Saturday 3rd March, when they play the Waratahs at KINGS PARK STADIUM.
The post INJURY UPDATE appeared first on Sharks Rugby.
Both Cell C Sharks head coach Robert du Preez and captain Ruan Botha identified the team’s difficulties at scrum-time as a major hurdle in our loss to the Emirates Lions in Saturday’s Vodacom Super Rugby season opener.
The Cell C Sharks pushed right to the end and could well have taken a draw out of the game which, given the issues around the scrum, would have been an outstanding result. As it was, the team showed maturity and courage against the two-time finalists.
“It’s never good to lose in such a way as we did, especially when we created so many opportunities, it was a tough one,” explained du Preez.
He felt that the team could have finished the opportunities better which may well have turned the result (and the bookie odds) on their head.
“Execution was our problem, when you have great opportunities but don’t execute them then that’s disappointing.
“We lacked patience at crucial times, I’m not happy with that.”
The Cell C Sharks coach admitted that while execution was problematic, he didn’t feel that it was an area for serious concern.
“In our pre-season games we had very few handling errors, but in this match against the Lions, it was one after another. But we were playing a Vodacom Super Rugby game against a quality side and you have to look after the ball.”
But the major talking point was the set scrums where the Lions earned good advantage, although they did battle at lineout time.
“There was no consistency from us, after the first scrum we really battled to get back into it and regain our composure,” he admitted.
“It’s always tough if your pack is going back like that.”
Thomas du Toit has been moved to the tighthead position this season in a move to exploit his sheer size and power, but du Preez admitted that it was a work in progress which will only serve to motivate the young player.
“He needs time, there will be obstacles along the way but he’s only going to get better playing at tighthead,” the coach explained.
Although there is the disappointment of a first round loss, that must be tempered with the fact that there are positive factors to also highlight.
“Although we didn’t play well, we were in it until the last minute We could have pulled the game out the fire. And although I mentioned that we didn’t close out all our opportunities, the positive is that we still created them.”
Captain Ruan Botha admitted that scrumming is “A mindset, we slacked off and let them off too easily, that’s where it started.”
Of the lineouts, he was much happier, explaining that, “I think our lineouts functioned well and I was happy that we were able to poach some of their throws, but it just shows the importance of the set-piece. If you don’t get your lineouts and scrums right, you can’t play attacking rugby, you can’t get on the front foot with a platform to launch.”
The Cell C Sharks have a bye this coming weekend before entertaining the Waratahs at KINGS PARK the following Saturday in our first home game of the season. The team will be determined to right their wrongs in that match.
The post Difficult to Launch appeared first on Sharks Rugby.
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