The unavailability of the influential JD Schickerling is a significant setback for the Stormers as they prepare for a must-win derby against the Bulls in Cape Town this week.
The big lock has been one of the better Stormers players this season and up until their match against Leinster, he had rescued their line-out. Schickerling rejoined the Stormers in the off-season last year after a stint in Japan and has consistently excelled.
The 29-year-old was injured in the loss to the Dublin team and defence coach Norman Laker says “it will be a while” before Schickerling returns.
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The silver lining to the cloud is that the Stormers are blessed with good depth in the second row and a combination of Springbok Salmaan Moerat and the under-rated Ruben van Heerden is nothing to scoff at.
There was surprise news from Laker regarding Bok flyhalf Manie Libbok. It had been assumed the wiry pivot would be out of action for some time after taking what looked like a heavy knock to the knee against Leinster but Laker said he is expected to resume training tomorrow although this does not mean he will play against the Bulls.
“Manie went off in the first half and it cost us in the game against Leinster as he is one of our game drivers and an important player as a Bok flyhalf,” said Laker. “We gave Manie some time off last week as per the Springbok resting protocols and we are expecting him to be back at training tomorrow (Tuesday).”
There is no such good news regarding the Stormers’ other Bok 10s, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Damian Willemse.
“I can’t tell you exactly how long Sacha will be out for but he definitely won’t be back this week,” said Laker. “And Damian is expected to be out for another month.”
Laker had better news regarding the Stormers’ midfield and Dan du Plessis in particular.
“Dan is back and he is training, but a decision on his availability for the Bulls game has yet to be made,” he said.
Perhaps the best news for the Cape team as they try to stay alive in the United Rugby Championship is that they can expect a sell-out crowd at the Cape Town Stadium. On Monday 40 000 tickets had been sold and the balance (10 000) is expected to go long before kick-off.
Stormers wing Leolin Zas says the news of the ticket sales has given the team a lift.
“It is always nice for us to play in front of a full stadium as it gives us a lot of energy to have such support. We are very excited to hear that more than 40,000 tickets have already been sold,” said Zas.
“Playing the Bulls is always a big game and we know what is at stake for us. We do draw inspiration from the fans and the fact that they are buying tickets after a financially tough January means they believe in us.”
Laker said that the booming ticket sales were a boost for the coaching staff and increased the pressure on the entire group to produce on Saturday.
“We need to show that their faith in us is justified,” he said.