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Wednesday 29th April 2009
The Sharks approach their Super 14 match against the Highlanders on Saturday in Durban with the injury bogey still hanging around.
Coach John Plumtree has confirmed the good news that a decision on Ruan Pienaar would be made whether he would start the game or come off the bench.
But having taken full part in training on Tuesday, the Bok pivot looks likely to get some game time after his knee injury sustained against the Reds over a month ago
Flanker Jean Deysel also appears to be fully recovered from a similar injury and will be ready to play having earned limited game time against the Crusaders two weeks ago.
"Unfortunately, Waylon Murray is still struggling, he's operating at about 85 per cent, change of direction is an issue for him. Hopefully he'll play some role in the Sharks second team game on the weekend," said Plumtree.
"Adi Jacobs underwent a scan but we don't know the outcome yet, it could be one week, it could be three months, hopefully it will be earlier, not later."
Losing the centre pair obviously has an impact on team dynamics, especially Jacobs who has been in outstanding form all season and an integral part of the backline.
"We're trying to get some form of continuity going in our backline, so if Ruan makes it, it will be great for that, with Frans [Steyn] and Swannie [Riaan Swanepoel] or Andries [Strauss] in the midfield," said Plumtree.
"Certainly if Ruan drops out we'll be a playmaker or two short; hopefully he will make it."
The Sharks have a tough Highlanders' side to negotiate this weekend, a team who haven't always got the results this season but who have been a major threat to every opposition they have encountered so far.
The Sharks come off a bye - a much-needed one at that - and now must perform over the next three weeks to set themselves up for the play-offs.
With Ruan Pienaar back, the backline is very similar to the one that enjoyed great success in the early half of the tournament and there is no reason to believe matters won't be much different now.
"We're not far away from playing very well," said Plumtree.
"Against the Crusaders we had four or five opportunities to nail that game and whether it was just a poor bounce or desperate tackle, they kept us out.
"So we're looking to build on that Crusaders performance and we've been able to do that with having a week off to refresh."
He admits that it is going to take a huge team effort on the weekend to make sure they give themselves the opportunity to get the result at a venue visiting sides have found difficult to come away victorious in recent past.
"We've got to make sure that the forward pack perform well enough to give the backline some space," said Plumtree.
"If we have to defend and fight like anything to get the victory, that's what we have to do.
"We haven't been able to play the game we wanted to this season because of disruptions to the side, but you just have to find another way to win. We've done it in the past and we'll have to do it again this weekend.
"It will be hard on Ruan who hasn't played in a long time, there is a lot of expectation on him; there is talk of him playing at 10 against the British and Irish Lions. I think we need to be patient with him, it's going to take a bit of time to get back up there, he's been out for seven weeks."
It's also not only what happens on the field that matters, but the build up and preparation thereof that must be accurate says Plumtree.
"Every little bit of preparation has to be nailed to give us the best chance, it's the little things that matter in this game," he said.
"We've been training a lot, since November, and for the players, it's all about reward time now.
"If they play well enough, they are going to get themselves into a good position to crack on for a home semi, or at least a semi-final place, if they don't work hard enough, it might slip away from them and so it's really up to them.
"There's not much more we can do in terms of strategy work.
"We weren't completely happy with our defence against the Crusaders, we were a bit passive, so we have put an emphasis on our skills at training to make sure there is more pride in our execution at training.
"So if we can get those bits right, then we will be real contenders. At the moment, we're just one of the contenders.
http://www.planetrugby.com/Story/0,1...255561,00.html