Head coach JP Pietersen said the Sharks would re-examine their structures to combat a spiralling injury crisis that seems to occur every year.
However, they would do so only in the pre-season next year, as they still have two United Rugby Championship league phase matches left.
22 injured players
The Sharks host Benetton at 4pm on Saturday, and then Zebre Parma again at Kings Park next Saturday, in dead rubbers for all sides involved after none of them were able to qualify for the play-offs.
Tenth place and six wins from 16 games so below par for a proud union that reached the semi-finals and won the URC’s SA Shield for the first time last year.
The Sharks, too, battled a rampant injury problem under John Plumtree then, which the then-coach warned could affect the Springboks if it was not addressed.
Twelve past and present Springboks are among the 22 players currently injured at the Sharks, highlighting the toll of a gruelling schedule, particularly on South Africa’s top players.
The injuries, and comings and goings of Springboks, meant that Pietersen, and Plumtree before him, could not build much team cohesion.
“If you don’t have players available, you don’t build cohesion, you don’t build consistency. I think that’s been a trend,” Pietersen said after naming another youthful side for Benetton.
“We could never get our team together for more than four games.”
Case in point, 18-year-old Zekhethelo Siyaya moves from fullback to flyhalf for the injured Jordan Hendrikse and Siya Masuku, with departing Jean Smith on the bench.
Twenty-year-old Jaco Williams returns from injury to take his spot at fullback. Regular fullbacks Aphelele Fassi and Yaw Penxe are out injured, as is another teenage fullback, Luan Giliomee.
Sharks to address the matter next season
“A lot of them are freak injuries and a lot of them are just unlucky injuries.
“Hopefully, we can get better with our pre-season and planning and take a different approach to get more player availability. That’s something we can try in the pre-season.”
The coach said that in order to compete in both the URC and the Champions and Challenge Cups, the Sharks would need 40 available players.
“We need to look at how our strength and conditioning, medical staff, and our rugby programme can be better in the pre-season.”
Pietersen said this was a conversation he would have with new attack coach Scott Mathie when he arrived from Edinburgh.
