Davids back but Nel and Zas still out for Stormers

The DHL Stormers were given a boost with the news that Springbok Sevens star Angelo Davids is fit and ready for action as they head into their opening Vodacom United Rugby Championship match against Connacht in Stellenbosch on Saturday.

Davids returned to training this past week after being with the Blitzboks in the World Cup Sevens and given the team still have a few injury problems to deal with, his return is good news for John Dobson’s side.

The team also confirmed that Clayton Blommetjies, who signed from the Toyota Cheetahs in the off-season, is ready to make his debut this weekend and is likely to be in the match-day 23.

“Clayton was signed with a specific role in mind and he has slotted in nicely,” assistant coach Dawie Snyman said. “He had a great game in pre-season action against the Sharks and brings his own style to us. We got him here for a reason, he has a good boot and is good under the high ball, so it will be exciting to see him go.”

The Stormers were caught a bit offside with the news that Joseph Dweba and Salmaan Moerat were released to return to their franchises to get game time, and they may not use either this weekend for the opening game.

Dweba, for instance, hasn’t trained with his teammates yet, and it is likely they both will be given a week to acclimatise and get over their jet lag before slotting in for the Stormers.

“Initially we didn’t expect them to come back, they will probably arrive at us tomorrow and we will see where they are,” Snyman said.

“We have been working hard already with a squad, so we will need to decide if we use them this week, otherwise they will likely play in the next two weeks.”

That news offset the news that midfielder Ruhan Nel and winger Leolin Zas are both unavailable for selection as both are returning from injuries.

“That gives us the opportunity to use a few youngsters and get them to measure themselves in this competition. We have a lot of confidence in them and while we may have lost one or two players, there is excitement with the youngsters who are preparing well,” Snyman added.

The Stormers are set to name their side later in the week once all the returning players have been assessed.