Pieter-Steph du Toit

Cell C Sharks lock Pieter-Steph du Toit has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury sustained in his side’s win over the Toyota Cheetahs on Saturday.

Du Toit’s injury is a huge blow to the Sharks and the Springboks as it means he is almost certainly ruled out of the World Cup in England later this year.

Du Toit left the field during the first half after he twisted his knee during a tackle. The 22-year-old tore his anterior cruciate ligament on the same knee where a similary injury kept him on the sidelines for most of the 2014 season.

He hopped on a plane to Cape Town to see a surgeon while there were mixed emotions among his team-mates, who headed to Durban after their 29-10 victory over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

The statistics for the season so far show how sorely Du Toit will be missed by the Sharks. He has taken more lineout ball than any other player in the competition thus far, with his only hiccup in the first five games being the first half of his battle against Bok veteran Victor Matfield two weeks ago.

The injury to the 22-year-old now ends any debate over whether 37-year-old Matfield should be the frontline lock at the World Cup, which starts in England in September. With Juandre Kruger having been dispensed with by Bok coach Heyneke Meyer at the end of 2013, and with no attempt having been made to engage Andries Bekker from Japan, there aren’t too many No 5 lock options available.

Sharks Fitness Report:

Ahead of this weekend’s match, Dr Alan Kourie, The Cell C Sharks Team Doctor, has released a medical update on the following players:

Pieter-Steph du Toit:
He is seeing the specialist who operated on the same knee previously, in Cape Town today.

We are hoping that it is not a re-rupture of his ACL and a confirmed diagnosis will be made after seeing the specialist.

“We as The Sharks family and I’m sure South African rugby fans at large are hoping that his injury is not as bad as originally feared,” said Dr Alan Kourie, The Cell C Sharks Team Doctor.

Willem Alberts:
Hamstring strain. Out for approximately 2 / 3 weeks.

Tera Mtembu:
Cartilage damage in the knee.

He is seeing a specialist today to determine treatment plan in conjunction with The Sharks medical team.

Stephan Lewies:
Knee and Shoulder surgery and his recovery is on track.

He is still out for approximately 4 weeks.

Paul Jordaan:
He is progressing well and his recovery is on track.

Etienne Oosthuizen:
Resuming training with the team today.

Ahead of the match Cell C Sharks Director of Rugby, Gary Gold said: “There were plenty of positives for us to take away from the Cheetahs match and the team will definitely be looking to build on that momentum going in to the clash against the Chiefs.

They are a champion side who are on a winning streak and we are under no illusions about the enormity of the challenge that lies ahead on Saturday.”