Sharks' Daniel out for 3 months
Cell C Sharks eighthman Keegan Daniel has been ruled out injured for three months in the aftermath of their promising preseason win over the Cheetahs in Umlazi last week.
Daniel walked off the pitch in the first half of their 37-7 win over the Cheetahs, cradling his arm after piling into a ruck. He played no further part in the first preseason hit out ahead of the upcoming Super Rugby season.
Scans confirmed that Daniel had fractured a bone in his forearm and he had surgery on Saturday morning – which means he’ll be out of action for 12 weeks.
The Sharks will miss Daniel’s experience and leadership in the coming weeks but the Durban outfit has plenty of depth in their loose forward stock.
Aside from the loss of an important player, the Sharks will be buoyed by the big winning margin in the main warm up game last week. They had to play the first half with 13 men at a stage after two yellow cards – conceding the one and only try against them during that period.
Coach Rob du Preez had a good look at the depth of his squad in the two matches that were played and was pleased with the foundation that has been laid ahead of the season.
“It was a good start to our journey and I was pleased with the squads fitness. They obviously didn’t have game time during our pre-season and we want to see how they go. Our general execution was good despite the humid conditions and we pleased with the enthusiasm and energy shown by our relatively young squad”, Du Preez said.
The Sharks face the Bulls this Friday in their final preseason clash before the Super Rugby season gets underway. Northwood Crusaders will host the clash, which is scheduled to kick off at 17h00. Entrance to the match is free.