Eben Etzebeth is set to miss the opening rounds of The Rugby Championship after Sharks boss Neil Powell revealed his injury was worse than initially thought.<\/p>\n
The Springbok centurion played the first of the Sharks\u2019 Champions Cup round of 16 clash with Munster but did not come out for the second forty.<\/p>\n
The Sharks confirmed after the match that he had sustained a shoulder injury, with initial reports ruling him out for a few weeks.<\/p>\n
However, Powell dropped the bombshell during the press conference following the Sharks\u2019 team announcement to face Toulouse in the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n
According to Powell, Etzebeth faces 14 weeks on the sidelines and will not feature for the Durban-based side again this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cEben\u2019s injury is quite serious,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn terms of how long he will be out for, I think it\u2019s quite a long time; I\u2019m not 100 per cent sure, but probably 12 or 14 weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think he\u2019ll play for us again this season, but he will definitely be ready for the World Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the timeline, the 2022 SA Rugby Player of the Year is set to miss The Rugby Championship opener against Australia in Pretoria on 8 July.<\/p>\n
Depending on how quickly he recovers, he could return in time for the clash with the All Blacks in Auckland a week later.<\/p>\n
The Springboks then host Argentina in their final game of the shortened Rugby Championship at Ellis Park.<\/p>\n
They then have Rugby World Cup warm-up games against Los Pumas, Wales and the All Blacks.<\/p>\n
Etzebeth\u2019s injury adds further pressure on the Sharks, with Springbok scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse ruled out for the remainder of the season.<\/p>\n