The DHL Stormers have been boosted by the return to fitness of star No 8 Evan Roos ahead of their Investec Champions Cup clash with Sale Sharks in Cape Town on Saturday.
Roos has been out for half a year after undergoing shoulder surgery last July but has been back in training for the Stormers for the past few weeks and defence coach Norman Laker confirmed on Tuesday that he is up for selection for the clash with the English Premiership team.
If he is involved in the game it is likely to be off the bench, with defence coach Norman Laker giving a broad hint on that score during an online press conference.
“Evan has been training with us but I think our approach with him will be to be slow but sure with his return to the playing field,” said Laker.
While wing Leolin Zas, who limped off in the second half of the festive season Vodacom United Rugby Championship derby against the Emirates Lions just before Christmas, is also back in training, Laker said his status in terms of being on the field is “on and off”, meaning that he is still receiving medical attention.
Given that Seabelo Senatla was a star performer in the most recent URC derby against the Hollywoodbets Sharks, it is unlikely that Zas will be risked against Sale.
There are several other frontline players who are back in training along with those mentioned, including another wing, Ben Loader, as well as loosehead prop Sti Sithole, who has been out injured since October.
We are kicking off 2025 with another big one at DHL Stadium.
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) January 7, 2025
🎟️ Get your tickets here https://t.co/Ib50awcszH #STOvSAL #iamastormer #dhldelivers pic.twitter.com/NW9p9gf3gJ
GETTING DEPTH BACK
Indeed, the Stormers are suddenly getting some depth back with players returning, Dan du Plessis being another player who is heading back to the playing field although the chances of him going on tour with the Stormers next week appear to be touch and go.
“I would put Dan’s chances of making the tour at 50/50 at present,” said Laker.
However to counter-balance all that good news was the confirmation that the injury that forced Springbok Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu off against the Sharks is serious enough to make him an unlikely starter for this game.
“Sacha has not been training with us this week and I am not sure what his status is. You will have to ask Dobbo (head coach John Dobson) about when he is due to return at the Friday’s (team announcement) press conference,” said the Stormers defence coach.
“I am not 100 per cent certain on what his injury is and how long he will be out for, whether it is one day, one week or a couple of weeks. I think we are still awaiting the results of an assessment of the injury.”
Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s injury and the continued absence of Damian Willemse and Steven Kitshoff notwithstanding, the Stormers are experiencing rejuvenation at the perfect juncture of the season.
The tour mentioned by Laker is the one that starts with the final Champions Cup group match against Racing 92 in Paris and is followed up by the important URC clash with log leaders Leinster in Dublin.
That second game is particularly important for the Stormers’ hopes of lifting themselves towards the top four on the URC log, with the approach to the Paris game to be determined by what happens against Sale this weekend.
The Stormers have yet to pick up so much as a bonus point from their Champions Cup games so far and a loss will effectively be the death-knell to any chances of them advancing to the round of 16.
Should that happen we will probably see Dobson mix and match his selections for the game in France rather than go with a full strength team.
Players who have been out for a while though, such as Loader, Sithole and Roos, will be likely to play.
Not that Dobson will be satisfied with a defeat to the English variant of the Sharks, for the Stormers have started to pick up winning momentum and he will want that to remain the case heading into the later part of January.
The team for the Sale clash will be announced on Friday.