The Sharks coach said he would use Springboks against Connacht if they are available and rested, but may need to draw on his greater squad.
Sharks head coach John Plumtree said he will likely have to prepare a team to face Connacht without several of their Springboks, upon their return to the United Rugby Championship in a month’s time.
The franchises head into a break in the tournament as the Sprinboks play five back-to-back Tests in Europe against Japan, France, Italy, Ireland and Wales.
The Sharks, who sported 12 Springboks and former Springboks in their starting XV and two more on the bench in their 29-19 win over Scarlets in Durban on the weekend, will be greatly affected by the Bok tour. Not just because the final match against Wales will be played on 29 November – the same day as the Sharks–Connacht game in Galway – but because these national players may not be available for training in the weeks leading up to it.
Recovery of injured Sharks top priority
Vincent Koch and Siya Masuku joined a long list of injured Sharks players right before the Scarlets clash.
Plumtree hopes many of his injured stars, including Boks Koch and Aphelele Fassi, and former Boks Francois Venter, Jason Jenkins, Ruan Dreyer and Trevor Nyakane, will recover during the break or at least take strides in their rehabilitation.
“When we play Connacht we’ll have a look at selection, the Boks will still be in Ireland [where the Sharks play Connacht]. We can use players there.
“But then there’s the Wales Test the same weekend so we’ll see what happens. But we do need to get some of those bodies back,” the Sharks coach said.
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Sharks to use Springboks if they are rested
When asked about communication about Springbok availability around Sharks matches, Plumtree said it was not always clear about who could play.
“Neil [Powell] handles that through their manager. That’s the communication line. It’s not really coaches to coaches. It can be a little hit and miss,” Plumtree chuckled.
He said a lot can happen in a month and he expects some challenges around availability towards the end of the break.
“We need to get a group of guys to prepare for Connacht without the Springboks. I’ll use Springboks if they’re available and if they’re lightly rested.
“They are up north for a long time and at this time of year it’s difficult because it’s windy, cold and wet and it’s a lot of hotel time. We will have to see how each individual copes with the time away from home.”
The Shark’s victory over Scarlets was their first win of the season. It followed three defeats and a draw, and lifted the Durban side one place, to 13th on the URC table.
Sharks players currently injured: Albie Bester, Aphelele Fassi, Bradley Davids, Bryce Calvert, Coetzee le Roux, Corne Rahl, Diego Appollis, Emile van Heerden, Ethan Bester, Francois Venter, Hanro Jacobs, Jason Jenkins, Jannes Potgieter, Litelihle Bester, Phatu Ganyane, Ruan Dreyer, Simphiwe Matanzima, Siya Masuku, Trevor Nyakane, Vincent Koch and Yaw Penxe.
