The extent of Nkosi's niggle
INJURY UPDATE: Springboks wing Sibusiso Nkosi has been ruled out of Sharks’ Australasia tour.
The Sharks confirmed that Nkosi will miss the next three Super Rugby games due to a torn right hamstring.
The World Cup winner Nkosi, already missed the 42-20 win over the Highlanders after he picked up a niggle during the Super Rugby opener against the Bulls.
Nkosi has returned to Durban. Marius Louw will now join the team ahead of this week’s game against the Hurricanes in Wellington.
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It is certainly a huge blow for Sharks, however, it seems like there is no shortage of suitable replacements, especially in the shape of Madosh Tambwe. The Sharks debutant produced impressive performance during the victory in Dunedin.
The team from Durban outscored their opponents by five tries to three with Makazole Mapimpi and Aphelele Fassi both scoring two tries.
Sharks head coach Sean Everitt was thrilled with the result afterwards, saying: “I’m very happy with our performance.
“We played with plenty of energy and I thought the guys showed a lot of courage and guts in the first half. We were in an arm wrestle for the opening quarter but our players stuck to the task and were rewarded when the game started opening up later in the half.”
He added: “We managed to score some good tries and that allowed us to go into half-time with a strong lead.
“I also thought our defence in the first half was outstanding and that shows how much energy there is in this team.
“Even when the Highlanders created opportunities, the players scrambled and closed them down to prevent them from scoring anything more than that solitary penalty.”
At the conclusion of the second week, just four sides remain unbeaten, two from the South African Conference – the Sharks (eight points) and the Stormers (nine points), along with the Brumbies from Australia and the Chiefs from New Zealand with the Sharks boasting the second-best record in the competition to date.
Although there was much to praise, Everitt did admit that the team is still a work in progress.
“I’m very happy with where things are at the moment, although we have a new team, the players are learning very quickly. And that’s the sign of a successful side.
“There’s a lot of energy in the group, the guys have toured well and this is a happy team.
“Nonetheless, we are looking to improve from week to week, but we are very happy with the outcome of this game.”
The Sharks face the Hurricanes on Saturday in Wellington
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