Not wanting to jump the gun here, but I’m afraid I have some rather first-hand experience of the sort of injury picked up by Sharks captain Stefan Terblanche against the Lions this weekend.
According to rumours we’ve heard, it sounds like Oom Stef dislocated his elbow, albeit just briefly, in the first ten minutes of the second half. It’s exactly the same thing that happened to this writer in the last competitive game of rugby I ever played, back in 1995. I fell badly in a tackle, put out my left arm to break my fall and ended up popping my elbow out, just for a second, as I hit the ground. The moment I tried to bend my arm (which, by the way, hurt quite a bit) the joint popped back in. The damage, though, had been done. The ligaments and tendons securing the three bones to each other and to the muscles in my arm suffered a frankly ridiculous amount of damage in the process. I should have been put straight into a cast, but for a variety of reasons that I won’t go into here, wasn’t and to this day I feel the effects of the injury.
Enough melodrama from me, though (gosh, how I do like to ramble!). The point is that, if Stef did indeed dislocate his elbow, he’s not likely to be playing any rugby for the next dew weeks, putting him seriously in doubt for the Currie Cup semi-finals and final, should the Sharks make that. The Sharks have been relatively fortunate with injuries so far this season, but I fear this is the one that John Plumtree would least have wanted, since it robs him of the most senior player in the squad – and the only one he’ll trust with the captaincy. Finding a replacement in the number 13 jersey will not prove as tricky as finding another player to wear the mantle of captain and while Plumtree will no doubt bring in Riaan Swanepoel at 12 and shift Andries Strauss to 13 against the Leopards, the games that fallow are far more likely to see a Strauss-Adi Jacobs midfield pairing, one which will hopefully serve the Sharks well.
Trying to find someone to captain the team, though, is going to prove very difficult indeed, since I’m assuming Plumtree is unlikely to back a youngster like Alistair Hargreaves at this stage of the campaign, regardless of how good his credentials may seem to the fans. With John Smit also confirmed out and Johann Muller gone, the only other player in the regular match squad to have captained the Sharks at this level is Jacques Botes. Problem is, though, the livewire flanker has found himself playing off the bench when Plumtree has his full complement of loose forwards available. Andries Strauss and Pat Cilliers have both captained the Vodacom Cup side and it’s the former who may well get the nod for the rest of the campaign, since he seems to at least be a fixture in the side and is a strong and vocal leader on the field. Cilliers is a non-starter since his place in the run-on team will go to Beast Mtawarira after next week.
The other possibility, one that’s perhaps a little left-field, would be Keegan Daniel, a man who was asked to lead the side in a friendly match last year, with less that stellar results. Keegan’s attitude and approach to the game is far more mature this season, though and he appears to do a fair bit of talking on the field anyway. Could the former Dalian be the man to steer the Sharks through the next few games? He does seem to be the guy that took over the captaincy when Stef went off on Saturday. Only time will tell.
My pick would be Alistair Hargreaves, but if I were to be forced to put my money somewhere, it would be on Dries Strauss.
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It’s a shame about Oom Stef, he brings alot to the table. If this injury is indeed a long term thing, I reckon we’ve seen the last of him in action.
Get well soon, oom Stef.
Keegs will be captain, he took over the captaincy from Oom Stef on Saturday, Plum is not often one to be unpredictable. I agree it should be Hargs and my left field selection would be Willem Alberts
@robdylan
Got any idea when adi jacobs will be full match fit?
@Benna08 (Comment 3) : he is fit, but he is on the Bok conditioning programme, he has actually been fit for the whole time the Boks have been on that thing
Sucks for the old man, and I wish him a speedy recovery, now we must just sort out this Mapoe debacle, and he can slot into outside center
would be terrible though, if this injury ended Stef’s season early, as he has really led front the front.
What do you guys think about Kanko’s brain fart against the lions and subsequent citing? Are we looking at n lengthy suspension here?
@war1
Why the hell does he have to rest if he didn’t play for the boks in the tn?
@Benna08 (Comment 6) : You could say the same for Beast and Bismarck and then ask why guys like Jean de Villiers, Gurthro Steenkamp, etc. are now playing Currie cup. Basically what they have done is taken the guys with Springbok contracts out of the Currie cup with no real thought to who needs rest
@AlienArmy (Comment 5) : Don’t count on Mapoe unless he is officially announced as a Sharks player. I wonder what they will charge Kanko for? Stumbling?
@war1 (Comment 8) : Nha, it’s more a case of wishful thinking…
@war1 (Comment 7) : @Benna08 (Comment 6) : they aren’t resting, they are on a “conditioning program”. so there is training involved, but i think it is a crock as province players are being allowed to play. i think divvie has money on province topping the log. but in a way i am pleased the sharks have been held back as it has given burden, pat, eugene and wilhelm valuable time to improve.
rob fallow-follow.
I think Keegs will/should be the man
And i really think he can/will do a good job at it. It looks like he really motivates the guys when a bit on the back foot.
My only worry if John decides on Al or Dries is the influence it will have on their play
@try time (Comment 10) :who’s wilhelm?
@robdylan (Comment 13) : probably Big Vhlic
@robdylan (Comment 13) : sorry i meant herbst. got lost in german names there.
@try time (Comment 15) : wilhelm-wiehahn, potato-tomato.
Just read that Ryan has been cited
The citing commision feel that he should’ve received a red card.
@SharksRTB (Comment 17) : yeah, players must be careful not to stumble in the future
@SharksRTB (Comment 17) : that was a dodgy yellow… red would’ve been laughable
@robdylan (Comment 19) : @war1 (Comment 18) : c’mon, you seriously thought he stumbled. in all the replays you can see he was frustrated because the lions player wouldn’t let him go, so he retaliated. i feel he could get a one match suspension.
@try time (Comment 20) : there was a tussle with the lions player end up under kanko who stumble over to get up, no malicious intent at all trust me, if kanko wanted to hurt him, he would have done so! and if ryan is cited why not bezuidenhout who only got a yellow for punching which as far as I know is supposed to be straight red
I never, ever thought I’d say this, but I’d be tempted to start with Pretorius and move Lambie to 12 with Dries at 13.
@try time (Comment 16) :
fallow-follow
@SharksRTB (Comment 17) : @robdylan (Comment 19) : I don`t know it looked bad.
Might be 4 weeks . . .
Things going pear shaped for us now.
@robdylan (Comment 19) :
OMG. Come now Rob, that was a definite red card!!
@war1 (Comment 21) : ok if we both see it differently, then there is obviously doubt. so he may be lucky. but i agree a punch is reason for a citing, however they probably feel as it wasn’t landed yellow card was enough warning.
@wpw (Comment 25) : And what about Bezuidenhout? You probably feel a yellow was too harsh for punching hey?
@wpw (Comment 25) : Yeah, I reckon Kanko is in a bit of trouble…regardless what any other player did, it did not look good…let’s hope it’s just a one game suspension. I don’t think it should have been a red card though
@Original Pierre (Comment 24) : did you not read the dont panic article?
@try time
The springbok players that are playing for wp are not contracted springboks that is why they are allowed to play.
Apparently Stef’s elbow dislocation is not that bad, possibly only two weeks out
@try time (Comment 26) : not necessarily, i fear
Headline on Pretoria News lamppost posters this morning.
Boks want Bulls coaches
Can’t find anything on the website though…
@Benna08 (Comment 30) : true that. but as bok coach i wouldn’t want jean de villiers risking another injury and would rather have adi getting game time.
@try time
Just remember we are talking about pdv he isn’t the brightest cookie in the jar!
@klempie (Comment 33) : maybe there was more to the headline that was torn off…Boks want Bulls coaches…to get stuffed!
hehe
@Benna08 (Comment 35) :
When is Jacobs back,I saw him on the news training with the guys before the lions match tackling and stuff?
I think that if Plumtree is not going to play rory,the backline should be like this for the weekend.
9.rory,charl
10.Pretorius
11.Mvovo
12.Lambie
13.? Jacobs
14.Odwa
15.Ludik
I dont think we can win the cc without Rory and if Plum doesnt want to play him,they need to test Pretorius at flyhalf before its to late and in a knockout game.
@Honey Badger (Comment 38) : disagree, rory may have a boot, but he lets his team mates down by doing what suits rory. often you see the backline set up at a scrum and there goes rory on his own mission isolated. the backline never gets the ball and the forwards have to carry the team. the less said about rory the better.
@try time (Comment 39) : I’m with you on this one…although I feel it was not always the case, Rory use to play a pretty all-round game, but now it is all about him…
A number 9 is the link between the forwards and backs, but he is playing like “the missing link”
@Honey Badger (Comment 38) : @try time (Comment 39) : How many bonus points have the Sharks scored with Rory at nine in the last couple of seasons…..and compare that with this CC with McLeod at 9.
eina!
@try time (Comment 39) : @Pokkel (Comment 41) : @try time (Comment 39) :
Ok I agree he is selfish but what about Pretorius at 10 and Lambie at 12,I know people dont like Pretorius but I think give him a chance with Lambie at 12 and see how that works and if he gets of injury free.
I guess I remember the Rory from 2008 when he and Deysel kept everything together when the boks werent there and I think we won the cc that year.
@klempie (Comment 33) : anyone else but PDV
Oupa Stef get better soon we miss u