VIDEO: Etzebeth's broken body

INJURY UPDATE: Sharks head coach John Plumtree provided an injury update regarding the missing Springboks from his side’s United Rugby Championship Round 8 clash against the Bulls this weekend.

Plumtree highlighted the disrupted build-up to the clash – with several sick and injured players missing training and sitting out of the local derby.

“We had a bit of a disruptive week with players… we’ve got a bit of sickness in the camp and injuries,” Plumtree said.

“Eben [Etzebeth] hasn’t passed his sway test [a medical after suffering concussion] so he’s unavailable.

“We haven’t had a perfect week, by any means.

“This is this competition, you’ve got to be adaptable, flexible and deal with each day as it comes and go out there and deliver a performance.”

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The former All Black assistant coach shed some insight on the severity of the injuries to South Africa’s most capped Springbok.

“So after 12 days they’ve [concussed players] got to pass what they call a sway test.

“If he [Eben Etzebeth] doesn’t pass that, it’s another seven days or something like that, but there’s a process they go through.

“He’s also got his back playing up, he’s going for a scan on his shoulder.

“We’re dealing with an athlete here whose body is not right and we need to get him right.”

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Plumtree stated that he hopes to have the other injured players back before their Champions Cup clash with Toulouse and mentioned players who couldn’t train due to illness.

“I’m hoping to have everyone back by Toulouse [match].

“The next two games are going to be a bit patchy in terms of a full strength side, because we got some Springboks resting coming up as well.

“Obviously there’s still some injuries.

“It’s still a good side that we’re putting out the weekend.

“We’ve got a bit of sickness as well, Dylan Richardson and Emile van Heerden couldn’t train today [Thursday].

“We just had a little bit of that just to add to everything else…these are the challenges you have.”

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Plumtree also clarified comments he made following his side’s defeat against Leicester Tigers last weekend that might have been taken out of context.

“Following the match against Leicester Tigers, there was media focus on comments I made regarding player welfare and the challenges of managing a busy calendar.

“To avoid any doubt, I want to emphasize that this remark was not directed at any specific tournament in which we compete, nor was it intended as a critique of the rights holders.

“The Sharks are immensely proud to participate in two international tournaments.

“As the reigning EPCR Challenge Cup champions, we are honoured to compete in the Champions Cup, regarded as the pinnacle of club rugby globally.

“We recognize that travel constraints are a reality for South African teams in these competitions.

“We sincerely appreciate the efforts of all stakeholders who continue to collaborate with us in seeking practical solutions for these challenges.

“We do speak to the EPCR and URC on a regular basis, and we know there is a lot of hard work behind the scenes between the tournaments and SARU to give all teams the best possible platform to compete at this very high level.”

Injured players unavailable for the Sharks: Bongi Mbonambi, Braam Reyneke, Eben Etzebeth, Fez Mbatha, Gerbrandt Grobler, Grant Williams, James Venter, Khwezi Mona, Lukhanyo Am, Marnus Potgieter, Vincent Tshituka.