Another Concerning Twist as Springbok’s Worrying Battle Rumbles on After Eben Etzebeth’s Return
Sharks and Springboks supporters will have to wait a little longer for Eben Etzebeth’s highly anticipated return to action for the Durban-based outfit in the United Rugby Championship (URC), according to a report in the South African media.
The 33-year-old has been on the sidelines since December after he sustained a head injury during the Sharks’ Investec Champions Cup victory over Exeter Chiefs.
Since then, the experienced second-row has been battling concussion with his return being regularly delayed due to the symptoms returning.
Unavailable for URC clash with Zebre Parma
And that seems to be the case again ahead of this weekend’s URC encounter against Zebre Parma in Durban on Saturday.
“Eben will not be available this week,” a Sharks spokesperson told IOL.
Sharks head coach John Plumtree gave an update on Etzebeth‘s condition last week when he said: “I am too scared to tell you anything positive about Eben as every time I have done that before and raised my hopes we have ended up going backwards again.
“But he is training with us and is looking really good. He trained well this week. We have the bye this week, but hopefully he will play for us at the end of the month.
“As I say, I am nervous about going for any positive timelines but right now it is looking very good.”
And it looks like Plumtree’s fears have been realised after he was looking to play Etzebeth off the replacements bench against Zebre this weekend before starting him against URC table-toppers Leinster in Durban on March 29.
Rassie Erasmus also concerned
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus also addressed Etzebeth’s situation and highlighted how important he is to the Springboks’ cause, although he stressed that it’s important not to rush the player back into action.
“I actually drove through to Stellenbosch the other day to meet with Dr Pierre Viviers, the concussion guru, to just get a proper catchup so I could also understand the concussion setup again,” he told reporters at a press conference ahead of the Boks’ alignment camp in Cape Town.
