Sharks injury Burden grows
The Sharks arrived back in Australia on Sunday without hooker Craig Burden who will return home after pinching a nerve and has been replaced by Monde Hadebe.
With Bismarck du Plessis still in rehab – in the latter stages as he builds up towards match fitness – and Craig Burden having been forced to return home, Hadebe will join up with the team during the course of Monday and share the hooking duties with Kyle Cooper.
Hadebe, the hard-working Sharks XV hooker, featured for the Sharks in last year’s Currie Cup campaign where he picked up seven appearances (to bring his total Sharks caps to nine).
The Sharks have been bolstered by the return to action recently of Springbok Willem Alberts who played in two matches for The Sharks XV in their Vodacom Cup campaign. The big ball-carrier featured prominently in both matches and he left Durban today to join up with the Sharks squad in their Brisbane base.
Lubablo Mtembu will remain with the side after leaving the field in pain, but only has bruising to recover from in a fortunate set of events over fears for great injury to the livewire No.8 who performed well in his consecutive starts (against the Chiefs and Highlanders).
The Sharks prepare for Friday’s clash against the 2011 champions, the Reds, who drew with the Force in Perth on the weekend in a match that, like the Sharks, a win would have given their campaign great impetus.
The Sharks will face the Force in their final tour match next Friday before heading home for the remainder of their pool match programme.
