Sharks facing flyhalf crisis ahead of URC play-offs? 

INJURY UPDATE: The Sharks will be sweating on their flyhalf options after Siya Masuku went down in the 50th minute during their United Rugby Championship clash against Scarlets.

Yaw Penxe replaced Masuku with Bok fullback Aphelele Fassi taking over the No.10 role and doing a stellar job to kick three penalties to seal a nervy 12-3 victory.

Sharks head coach John Plumtree couldn’t immediately confirm the extent of Masuku’s injury.

“I haven’t seen the medical team yet, but it looks like a hamstring [injury],” Plumtree said.

With Jordan Hendrikse still out injured, Masuku’s injury couldn’t come at a worse time.

Plumtree, however, confirmed ahead of their clash against the Ospreys that Hendrikse’s injury wasn’t too serious and that he was rested as a precaution.

The Bok flyhalf, however, remained sidelined for the clash against Scarlets which is concerning.

“Jordan [Hendrikse] has a back injury that affected his training this week,” Plumtree told @rugby365com ahead of the Ospreys clash, adding: “We chose to rest him.”

This predicament leaves the Sharks paper thin at flyhalf options.

With Lionel Cronje stepping into a coaching role with the junior Sharks teams, he could possibly be called upon if push comes to shove, but he would be rusty as he hasn’t featured for the Sharks in months.

The other option the Sharks have is to switch Jaden Hendrikse to flyhalf in the hope that Grant Williams will be available to be on his inside after he was initially pipped to feature against the Scarlets.

Aphelele Fassi did a decent job in difficult conditions against Scarlets and showed that he can step up in a No.10 jumper of called upon with Hendrikse on his inside, but none of these options are close to being ideal in a URC quarterfinal clash.

The upcoming break week will be a welcoming one with the Champions Cup Final taking place, giving the Sharks playmakers an extended break to potentially fully recover from their respective injuries.