Etzebeth back, Tshituka in soaring form for Sharks as he tops URC lineout stats ahead of Ospreys clash

The Sharks will welcome back Eben Etzebeth for Friday night’s United Rugby Championship match against the Ospreys in Durban (7pm kick-off).

But while the Bok enforcer was missed last week in Belfast, Vincent Tshituka proved a more than able replacement in the second row.

The elder of the Tshituka brothers finished high in the forward statistics from round 16 of the tournament and topped some of them.

Tshituka was supposed to start on the flank against Ulster, but not long before kick-off, Etzebeth was ruled out of the match because of flu.

That required Vincent to take his place, while brother Manu joined the match-day squad on the bench.

The Sharks recovered from 0-19 after a poor first half to win the game 22-19, with both Tshitukas enhancing their reputations.

The 26-year-old Vincent ruled the lineouts in Belfast, and also across the board in last weekend’s fixtures.

The flank-cum-lock, won eight lineouts – the most in the round. He also topped the stats for most line-out steals with two. So far in the URC, Tshituka has stolen 10 lineouts.

Tshituka’s versatility has not gone unnoticed by Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus.

He wanted to invite Vincent and Manu to the alignment camp in Cape Town in March, but discovered that they did not have South African ID cards.

This has subsequently been resolved, and the brothers now have full South African citizenship. That makes them eligible for the Boks.

Vincent’s ability to move between the second and back rows is not unlike that of Franco Mostert.

Mostert turns 35 later this year, and Erasmus will have his eyes out for a like-for-like replacement, and Tshituka is on his list.

Tshituka will return to his favoured No 7 jersey for this week’s penultimate match of the league phase of the URC, with Etzebeth over his flu and in training this week.

The Sharks will be keen to get Etzebeth going. Since suffering a serious concussion on December 7 last year, against Exeter in the Champions Cup, he has played just one match.

That was a few weeks ago against Edinburgh, his comeback match after five months on the sidelines.

That period also included a hamstring injury picked up at the Bok alignment camp.

With Etzebeth surely starting against the Ospreys, the Sharks’ pack will be world-class.

There will be double World Cup-winning Boks in Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, Vincent Koch, Etzebeth, and Siya Kolisi, and a capped Bok in Jason Jenkins.

Vincent Tshituka and James Venter or Phepsi Buthelezi will complete a pack that should be way too much for the Welshmen.

The Sharks’ forwards have been consistently good for a while, but there appears to be a disjoint between forwards and the equally pedigreed backline.

Game-drivers, Jaden and Jordan Hendrikse, have not been at their best, and coach John Plumtree needs them to regain their best form because time is running out before the playoffs.

The Sharks are playing well within themselves, and must find their rhythm and cohesion against the Ospreys.

They finish the league stage the following week, at home against the Scarlets, by which stage Plumtree wants the Sharks machine to be purring.