Plumtree offers encouraging update on Etzebeth injury: 'It looked worse than it is'

Etzebeth was forced off in the first half of the Durban outfit's 29-10 victory over the Ospreys in the United Rugby Championship.

The 33-year-old did not look in a good way and was taken from the field on a golf cart before being seen with crutches on the sidelines.

He will now be sent for scans to determine the extent of the issue but Plumtree is hopeful, suggesting that it looked much worse originally than it actually was.

"Hopefully, Eben's not too bad," the Sharks boss told reporters. "I'm hoping it's just a hematoma [a bad bruise] that might come right even before the [end of the] weekend. He's a quick healer, Eben, but we'll know more after he gets a scan.

"You could see he was just trying to push through it but it was too sore. I spoke to him at half-time and he felt a bit better."

Etzebeth has struggled with several injury problems since the end of 2024, starting with a concussion he suffered against Exeter Chiefs in December.

That kept him out of action for a few months as his concussion symptoms persisted before a hamstring strain delayed his comeback.

The lock eventually made his return against Edinburgh in the URC, but illness forced him to miss their match with Ulster.

That meant the Sharks' encounter against the Ospreys on Friday was just the Springbok's second appearance in five months.

He only lasted half an hour against the Welsh outfit but, despite that setback Plumtree's men responded well.

They moved into the break 14-3 ahead thanks to tries from Jason Jenkins and Andre Esterhuizen before they secured the bonus point in the second period after Ethan Hooker and Phepsi Buthelezi touched down.

"It was a workmanlike performance," Plumtree said. "I was just saying how wet the pitch was. The boys found the ball quite dewy and that sort of took away a real attractive game of rugby from both sides.

"It became a kick battle and a set-piece battle, and a mindset of keeping the ball in front of the forwards and obviously our defence. I was really happy with our defence.

"We knew Jac Morgan was going to be a threat [at the breakdown] tonight and he showed why he's going on that [British & Irish Lions] tour. It got a bit patchy with our scrums but once we settled down, we were better.

"We had a lot of powerful running tonight from our loose forwards and tight five, a guy like Jason Jenkins really stood up.

"I thought we were pretty clinical when we got into the 22 with the work we do with our pack. The boys wanted to play a big game for Bongi [Mbonambi] on his 50th [cap].

"It was a pass mark, but we're heading in the right direction."

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