Province survive 'darkest hour', despite new injury

REACTION: Western Province's 32-31 win over the Sharks has been accompanied by another injury blow.

Western Province loose forward Hacjivah Dayimani suffered a knee injury during the Round Three mid-week Currie Cup clash at the Cape Town Stadium.

Dayimani was making his first start on the flank for WP and had to leave the field prematurely due to a knee injury, head coach John Dobson confirmed after the match.

The 23-year-old joined Province on a loan deal from the Lions for the Currie Cup season.

Last year Dayimani underwent knee surgery while at the Lions and was sidelined for three months.

“Hacjivah went early on with a knee [injury] - after 15 or 20 minutes,” Dobson said.

"He is going for a scan and it’s a big blow for us.

"He is someone who we are really excited about, and we are very disappointed.

“It looks an MCL [medial collateral ligament], I am not sure which grade it is - if it is a grade one [tear], then it could only be a couple of weeks.

“But if it’s a grade two, then maybe six to eight weeks,"

The coach also added it's not a recurring injury: "It’s a brand-new injury. He just got buckled as he went in for a poach at the breakdown.”

Despite the victory in Cape Town, it was a very challenging encounter.

The hosts were outscored by four tries to two,  however flyhalf Tim Swiel produced year another match-winning performance.

Swiel kicked six penalties and two conversions for a personal contribution of 22 points in the one-point win over the Sharks.

The result saw WP (11 points after three rounds) overtake the Bulls (10 points) at the top of the standings.

The two bonus points – one for four tries and one for losing by less than seven points - saw the Sharks move into third place on seven points.

"We always knew this game will be our darkest hour in terms of the team we put on the field and the players' strength," Dobson said, adding: "We had problems with our set-piece, new hookers trying to get organised.

"It was really tough and a win against a team like the Sharks is a big achievement,"

The coach had huge praise for Swiel and also pin-pointed Evan Roos as one of the standouts.

"Roos is going from strength to strength. We know he has speed but he also adds intensity to the game. He just have to win every battle and that is amazing,"

Dobson added: " He is going to be a very special rugby player,"

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B&I Lions challenge

Dobson revealed that his team will have a major boost ahead of their much-anticipated match against the British and Irish Lions on July 17.

The coach stated that the return of Juan De Jongh, along with Salmaan Moerat, JD Schickerling, Nama Xaba and Andre-Hugo Venter will make a major difference to the team.

"It is a massive occasion, think the players will lift themselves.

"They [the players] will want to produce a performance that will make the Western Cape proud,"

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