Sharks and Springbok prop Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira has been ruled out for up to three months after suffering a shin fracture during a Sharks training session on Friday morning.
rugbyweek
It is believed that Mtawarira was involved in a freak training incident which could leave him sidelined for almost two months into the Super Rugby tournament.
The Sharks now face a loosehead crisis and will be disappointed to have been dealt such a big blow so late into their Super Rugby preparations.
More to follow as details become available.
Oh dear. Are the Sharks supporters not talking Dale Chadwick up big time?
The Beast, a crowd favourite in and out of South Africa, suffered what initially appeared to be an innocuous accident, but it was revealed he had fractured his ankle after being tackled by Sharks captain Keegan Daniel during training.
The fibia in his right angle is fractured, and he has already undergone surgery to insert a small crew to hold the bone in place.
Such an injury can heal in exceptional circumstances in 8-10 weeks, but at worst case it can take double that to come right considering the stress a player has to eventually put on the joint, while smaller bones can – as All Black Richie McCaw can attest to – cause irritation and concern for a long time.
Sharks team doctor Ewoud van der Linde confirmed the surgery was successful.
The Durban based franchise kicks off their pre-season with a ‘Sharks v Sharks’ internal match on February 3, before taking on a Boland selection in Durban and then heading to Port Elizabeth to play the Kings.
The Sharks open their Super Rugby account with a blockbuster against the three-time champion Bulls in Pretoria on February 24.
The injury places a question mark over the props Springbok aspirations, as he will not have much time to impress new Bok coach Heyneke Meyer ahead of the arrival of England in June, the next time the South Africans assemble for test duties since being beaten in the World Cup by the Wallabies in the quarter-finals.
Mtawarira formed an all Springboks front row with the Du Plessis brothers at the Sharks, and there may be temptation to switch Jannie over to the other side to give more foundation to the team’s scrum.
The departure of John Smit and Eugene van Staden robs the team of crucial experience, but there are options in Dale Chadwick, Julian Redelinghuys and Wiehahn Herbst.
The Sharks have not revealed yet if they will call for reinforcements and explore the possibility of adding another prop to their ranks.
Thats it, superBul signs out.
Thanks for the Bday wishes, i had a really nice relaxing weekend, just what the doctor ordered.
Now back to work.
David Pocock has been named captain of the Western Force for the 2012 Super Rugby season.
Another feather in the cap of a player heralded in some quarters as a future Wallabies captain, stepping up from vice-captain of the Perth based franchise for the last two seasons, meaning that long serving leader Nathan Sharpe steps down.
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