South African rugby hearts sank on Friday night when Eben Etzebeth left the Kings Park pitch on a golf cart, his face a mask of pain.
But coach John Plumtree suspects the injury sustained against the Ospreys is no more than a “lamey”.
The Sharks won a hard-fought match 29-10 to secure a home United Rugby Championship quarter-final, but as is becoming the norm, the subplot is about the health of Springbok talisman Etzebeth.
The 33-year-old has barely played since early December last year because of a concussion, a hamstring strain, and the flu.
“Hopefully, Eben’s not too bad,” Plumtree said after the match.
“I’m hoping it’s just a haematoma that might come right before this week’s game (against the Scarlets).
“He’s a quick healer, Eben, but we’ll know more after he gets a scan.”
Etzebeth tried to run off the thigh injury, but ultimately erred on the side of caution and came off. The excellent Manu Tshituka replaced him.
“You could see Eben was trying to push through, but it was too sore. I spoke to him at halftime. and he felt a bit better.”
Plumtree was unsure how to evaluate a team performance that once more was gritty, but not overly impressive.
“It was a workmanlike performance,” he said. “I was just saying how wet the pitch was because of the dew and humidity.
“The boys found the ball slippery and that meant it was never going to be an attractive game of rugby from both sides.
“It became a kick battle and a set-piece struggle.
“There was a mindset of keeping the ball in front of the forwards and obviously a focus on defence. I was really happy with our defence.
“We knew Cardiff captain Jac Morgan was going to be a threat at the breakdown, and he showed why he’s going on tour with the British and Irish Lions.
“It got a bit patchy with our scrums, but once we settled down, we were better.
“We had a lot of powerful running tonight from our loose forwards and tight five. A guy like Jason Jenkins really stood up.
“I thought we were pretty clinical when we got into the 22 with the work we do with our pack. The boys wanted to play a big game for Bongi Mbonambi on his 50th cap.
“It was a pass mark, but we’re heading in the right direction.”
Next Saturday (7.30pm kick-off), Plumtree welcomes his son, Taine, to The Tank as he plays for the Scarlets.
“It will be good to have Taine here,” he said. “I was hoping he might play on this pitch one day.
“It’s not for the Sharks, but it will be good to see him. He just needs to get through Sunday against the Lions safely.”
