Battered and bruised scrumhalf Craig Davidson has been rested by coach Kevin Putt and will miss the Sharks’ sixth Absa Currie Cup rugby outing of the season against the SWD Eagles at the Absa Stadium in Durban on Friday night.
Davidson had 19 stitches inserted in his forehead after the match against Western Province in Durban last Saturday after sustaining a nasty gash.
However, expected replacement Dave von Hoesslin is an experienced campaigner and Putt can rest assured that their will be no loss of halfback continuity between his scrumhalf and his flyhalf partner Conrad Barnard.
Putt will also have the luxury of being able to call on current Springboks Brent Russell and Albert van den Berg, who have just returned from Tri-Nations duty in New Zealand and Australia.
They have been released by the Springbok management for the game but Putt may resist the temptation to throw them straight into the fray after the heroic performance of the Sharks in their defeat of Western Province. He may plan to use them as impact players off the bench if necessary.
The Sharks team is expected to be finalised on Wednesday. — Sapa