The Sharks’ United Rugby Championship clash at Cardiff got off to a bad start when they lost their captain, Andre Esterhuizen, to injury in the first minute of the game.

Shortly after the kick-off, the burly centre competed for the ball in an aerial duel with Harri Millard before landing awkwardly on his right foot.

Esterhuizen laid prone on the ground after the challenge before the Sharks‘ medical staff raced onto the field to attend to his injury.

Replaced by Jaco Williams

The Springboks star eventually rose to his feet but could not stand on his injured foot, which meant his involvement in the game came to a premature end, and he was replaced by Jaco Williams.

The injury will be a concerning one for Boks head coach Rassie Erasmus, who is expected to announce his squad for next month’s Nations Championship tour to the United Kingdom.

The world champions are set to take on Italy in Turin on November 7 before they face France in Paris and Ireland in Dublin on November 14 and 21 respectively.

Esterhuizen, who is equally adept on the flank, has proven to be a vital cog in the Springboks’ machine recently due to his utility value, which has seen him alternate between the backline and forwards seamlessly on a regular basis.

Shortly after Esterhuizen’s departure, the Sharks opened the scoring when fellow Springboks outside back Ethan Hooker crossed for the opening try after running onto a pass from Jurenzo Julius.

Gianni Lombard was off target with his conversion attempt before Cardiff struck back via a five-pointer from Josh Adams in the 10th minute.

This, after a fine line break from former Sharks representative Le Roux Malan, who offloaded to Cam Winnett, who then got a pass out to Adams.

Sharks continue to attack

Jarrod Evans added the extras to give the Welsh region a 7-5 lead but that setback did not deter the Sharks who launched several attacks inside Cardiff’s half.

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In the 23rd minute, the Durban-based outfit thought they had regained the lead when Zekhethelo Siyaya beat three players before dotting down. The score was ruled out, however, after television replays revealed a handling error from Jason Jenkins in the build-up.

Five minutes later, Matt Romao crossed for a try before Jenkins also dotted down. Lombard succeeded with one conversion which meant the Sharks held a 17-7 lead at half-time.