By Brenden Nel.
The Cell C Sharks will be doing some interesting juggling of player resources as they head to Italy for their opener against Zebre in this year’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship.
Boeta Chamberlain will be the only fit flyhalf travelling with the side after a horror pre-season run of injuries that has left them depleted for the opening two months of the competition.
Curwin Bosch and Lionel Cronje, their depth at 10, are both injured and will miss the opening two months of the competition, and the team that will leave on Monday for Europe will be very thin at playmaker.
Bosch suffered a hand fracture during the pre-season matches, while Cronje has a forearm fracture and both players are expected to be out for between 6-8 weeks.
While Lukhanyo Am suffered a knee injury in the Rugby Championship and is expected to be out for the rest of the year, the Sharks also sit with a few other injuries as they prepare to leave these shores.
Midfielder Murray Koster is out for another four weeks with an ankle injury, while winger Eduan Keyter is set to be out of action until December.
Add to that the impact of players like new signing Vincent Tshituka, who is still recovering from a shoulder injury and hopes to be ready when the Sharks return, and the varying recovery periods for Mpilo Gumede and Jeandre Labuschagne and the Sharks are feeling the pinch before the competition has started in earnest for them.
The Sharks also have long-term injuries to Le Roux Roets and flanker Tinotenda Mavesere, who both won’t be on a rugby field for months after knee ligament injuries.
The team will head to Italy with a good head of confidence, after beating the Lions 45-43 and Stormers 21-12 in pre-season games and while these are never really a barometer of the season’s success, they do help with the self-belief that players need going into the big games.
But their first task against Zebre won’t be easy, especially as the Italian side has benefitted from the signings of several South Africans – including fetcher MJ Pelser, formally of the Lions, Richard Kriel from the Bulls and Franco Smith junior from Benetton.
Smith is the son of former Springbok assistant and Italian head coach Franco Smith, who coaches Glasgow Warriors at the moment and had a profound influence on setting up the system that is already paying benefits for the Italian team.
Zebre ran Leinster close, losing 33-29 in a hard-fought opening game on Saturday.