The Mercury is simply full of good news this morning; head rugby scribe Mike Greenaway confirms that Bok flank Jean Deysel appears to be over his ankle problem and should be able to play against the Stormers this weekend.
Deysel started the season like a house on fire and was named man of the match when these two sides met in Durban in March. He lasted just a few minutes of the following game, against the Kings, before joining the alarmingly-long list of loose forward casualties, but just as Keegan Daniel made a timely return from his own injury just as Deysel went down, the big man himself seems poised to make his own comeback just as another stalwart, Jacques Botes, has been ruled out.
Botes broke his arm against the Crusaders and the 111-cap veteran faces an uphill battle to return next year and hopefully move off the Nelson.
With the likes of Tera Mtembu and Francois Kleinhans itching for a chance to play, coupled with the news that Lions flanker Jaco Kriel may get a look in, competition for a spot in the Sharks loose trio is fierce. Deysel, given what he’s done in the past, should have the inside lane should he pass a late fintess test; coach John Plumtree’s problem, though, is how to compose a insensible loose trio given that he now arguably has two blindsider and two number eights to choose from, but nary a true 6 in sight.
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timely return
Woohoo! Good Wednesday for the Sharks thus far.
Yay! 😀
Welcome back big man. Wow the good news just keep coming in. What a start to the day! Let the good times roll!
@Viking (Comment 5) : @Pokkel (Comment 4) : Very surprised that Deysel wasn’t included in the Bok squad after the way he’s been playing! He’s been brilliant!
Lets just hope he is 100% fit and doesn’t get injured again.
Wollie has had a terrible run of injuries – hope he gets back to his bruising best!
Good news
Keegan is not as good as Botes as an opensider but he can do the job. I also think that Marcel has the ability to make that kind of an impact. If MC is quick out the blocks to make the tackles, then we can poach the ball not through a fetcher but through a strong counter ruck.
Glad see Craig Joubert is reffing the game – Sharks generally play quite well to the way he interprets the laws.
Come on boys – Klap those Stormers!
@ChrisS (Comment 6) : ummm – in one game?