The Sharks’ bruising 34-26 loss to Ulster in Durban has been compounded by the loss of a Springbok prop.
TightheadRuan Dreyer suffered what head coach John Plumtree described as a serious knee injury.
The four-Test juggernaut was forced off during the second half, and added just another layer to the many concerns currently hanging over the Durban-based franchise after a difficult start to their Vodacom URC campaign.
Speaking after the match, a disappointed Plumtree said the setback could sideline the 35-year-old for an extended period.
That’s a big loss for us out there tonight. Then you lose Ruan Dreyer with what looks to be a serious knee injury and it looks like he could be out for a while now, so this could get uglier for us,” said Plumtree.
Plumtree fielded 13 Springboks in his starting XV, but refused to blame the defeat on a lack of cohesion after multiple changes to the line-up.
“If you look at all the Springboks coming back into the team, they were maybe a little bit rusty. We can go into the excuses, but we know what we needed to do tonight, and that was to get five [log] points to get back into the competition.
“We got one, so that wasn’t good enough. We’re not going into that [negative] space. The boys are hurting in the change room and they won’t want to go back into that space themselves – they know they’re better than that.”
The Sharks have now lost three of their opening four fixtures with one draw, and the prospect of being without one of their most experienced scrummagers will only deepen the challenges facing Plumtree’s side as they look to build momentum.
Dreyer has been a stabilising presence in the Sharks pack since his arrival in Durban – particularly in the set piece, where his technical ability and experience have been invaluable.
The Durbanites have a week to regroup before facing fellow strugglers the Scarlets at Kings Park on Saturday.
