Grant Williams neck injury a growing concern for Sharks and Springboks

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus would have noted with concern that electric scrumhalf Grant Williams is once more unavailable to the Sharks because of an ongoing neck injury.

Last week, Williams made a comeback from the injury in the Sharks’ 18-17 defeat of Edinburgh in a United Rugby Championship fixture in the Scottish capital.

There was a good chance he might have started on Saturday night against Ulster (8.35pm kick-off), but the injury has flared up again, and he will be in the stands in Belfast.

Sharks coach John Plumtree explained on Friday that Williams’ injury is not serious enough to require surgery, and he is hopeful that the speedy Bok halfback will feature in the URC playoffs.

“Grant’s neck is still not right, and that is a concern for us,” Plumtree said.

“We have to investigate more into what is going on with his neck.

“He has a facet joint injury that has bothered him for weeks. We rested him for three weeks, and we had him doing neck strengthening exercises.

“The injury has settled down,” Plumtree said. “It is healing, but it is not right yet, and we have to give it a bit more time.

“We will give him another three to four weeks to get that neck fully healed, and (hopefully) he will be back for the playoffs.”

The 28-year-old Williams has scored four tries in his 17 Test matches, and is deadly from close quarters and broken play.

He has started just three of those Test matches, and in one of them, against Argentina at Ellis Park in 2023, he was taken out in the air and heavily concussed.

It is possible that his neck problem originated from that blow.