Sharks dealt another injury blow as rising star Giliomee exits Cardiff clash early

The 19-year-old's injury comes just a week after a breakout performance against Munster Rugby, where he scored a try, provided two assists, and impressed with his composed performance after stepping in as a late replacement for Ethan Hooker.

Giliomee now joins a growing list of injured players, including Aphelele Fassi, Francois Venter, Grant Williams, Jaco Williams, Jurenzo Julius, Lili Bester, and Siya Masuku, leaving the Durban side dangerously short of backline options.

Head coach JP Pietersen admitted the loss was a blow and joked he might have to don his boots again to help.

"It's hard. The backs are falling, and it got me thinking maybe I need to put my boots back on just to give us a boost," he said.

"It tests the character of the squad. Gilly [Giliomee] coming off is unlucky and unfortunate. It's a setback, but we'll bounce back. It gives the next guy the chance to step up."

Despite the mounting injuries, Pietersen was happy with his side's performance against Cardiff, particularly in the first half, but admitted the accuracy slipped after the break.

"We took control of the game at the set-piece. We scrummed well for penalties, and the maul functioned effectively. When we got into the 22 in the first half, we scored.

"In the second half, we were a bit sloppy in our territory and kicking game. We'll need to be better; it's a good learning experience as we head on the road."

Looking ahead, Pietersen stressed the importance of game management while highlighting the defensive effort.

"Obviously, we came off a high from last week, and the challenge for a quality side is if you can back it up with consistency. I congratulate the boys for staying in the fight. Normally, we would've given up and given our opposition easy tries.

"We'll have a hard review and look at how we can improve. But also look at what we did well. Defensively, we were good and only conceded two tries, which is massive for us against a Cardiff side that can score from anywhere."

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