Sacha in race to be ready for Sharks game

For 27 minutes the crowd that watched the DHL Stormers break a losing sequence with a comfortable 29-10 Vodacom United Rugby Championship win over the Emirates Lions in Cape Town saw the potential of having two Springboks together in the key 10/12 decision making axis.

Actually, you can make that three players, for fullback Warrick Gelant by interjecting himself and playing off flyhalf Manie Libbok and inside centre Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, makes it an axis of three driving the Stormers’ attacking game at the back. What he saw in that period excited coach John Dobson, but alas, once again Feinberg-Mngomezulu had to leave the field injured.

Fortunately this time it was just a hip pointer, which Dobson suggested is just a new fangled name for what we used to know colloquially as a lammy. In other words, at least it wasn’t the knee issue that kept him out of the start of the Stormers’ URC campaign. But it forced Feinberg-Mngomezulu from the field, and he looked very displeased about his misfortune.

“It isn’t nice for Sacha to come off again and I said to him it would be nice for him one day to just make it to halftime,” Dobson chided.

“It was a hip pointer, which means he could be ready to play again in a few days, or it could be in a few weeks. You never know with that kind of injury. But it was a huge pity as Sacha was looking so so good and I think we saw when he was on the field the potential that there is in having Manie and him play together.”

EXTRA PRESSURE

Feinberg-Mngomezulu could be ready to play the Hollywoodbets Sharks in the URC coastal derby at the weekend, and there is extra pressure on him to be ready as his replacement for the remainder of the game, Jean-Luc du Plessis, was also injured, as was wing Leolin Zas.

“Jean-Luc ended up with a double contusion. Leolin looks unlikely to face the Sharks too, so we do have a few things to consider at the back in the buildup to the next game,” said Dobson.

However, it was a game that apart from confirming the value of Deon Fourie to the Stormers’ game also confirmed that there is a new wave of young players coming through and eager to strut their stuff, headed by like for like replacement for Fourie, Paul de Villiers.

The age-group star showed up well for the Stormers in the tense final minutes when the Lions were attacking and then featured prominently in the creation of the match clinching try scored by replacement prop Neethling Fouche.

OTHER OPTIONS

Dobson is confident that should it be required, another young player who hasn’t featured as a starter for the Stormers will do a good job if required - centre Jonathan Roche.

“We have a few options if Sacha and Jean-Luc are not ready for the Sharks. We could just shift players one in, meaning Ruhan Nel can move to inside centre and Suleiman Hartzenberg can move from wing to outside centre, where he has played a lot of his rugby. But we could also give Jonathan Roche a game. He is a player of massive potential and he would not let us down.”

Although it was far from a perfect performance, and after scoring three first half tries the Stormers should have put the Lions properly to the sword when it was 15 against 13 early in the second half, Dobson was understandably delighted that the four game losing sequence had been broken.

“It was all about getting the win. Four defeats and a losing changing room made it tough. You start to have doubts. So the most important thing was the W. It was hard work, and I give the Lions credit because they fought and stuck around after the red card (to lock Ruben Schoeman).

“It wasn’t flawless and some of the games we’ve lost over the last couple of weeks we’ve played a bit better in than we did today, but it was all about the win.We’re feeling great now, and guys will be having Christmas, but the job’s only half done. Next week, if we get another five points, then we’re back in the mix.”