The Sharks play a crucial Currie Cup game against the Free State Cheetahs at Kings Park this coming weekend.
Victory will put the Shark up alongside the Bloemfontein team in the quest for top spot on the final log, while defeat will be a major setback.
The Sharks could be boosted for that game by the return of Stephan Lewies, who is back in training after suffering a hamstring strain and could conceivably be in the frame for immediate selection.
However it is the more long term outlook that is particularly promising for the Sharks, as there is a chance that Patrick Lambie could have some role to play in the domestic competition.
It could be brief, for if he returns to the playing field before the start of the home leg of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship at the end of the month, Lambie is sure to be snapped up by Springbok coach Allister Coetzee – provided of course he shows some confidence and has no ill effects from the concussion that has kept him sidelined since June.
But you would assume that Lambie would get a chance to rebuild match fitness before that, which would be a considerable boost for the Sharks considering what a match-winner their Super Rugby captain has been for them in the past.
Lambie won’t be making his return to the playing field in the short term as the Sharks have stipulated that the flyhalf has resumed only “modified” field training.
