The DHL Stormers have sent out an SOS to retired Springbok hooker Scarra Ntubeni as their hooker crisis deepens ahead of their Vodacom United Rugby Championship match against Ulster this Saturday.
The Stormers lost both their hookers - Andre-Hugo Venter to a concussion and Deon Fourie to a hamstring strain - during their 52-40 win over Scarlets last Saturday and have another hooker - JJ Kotze - currently on a three week suspension for a head high shot in their win over Bristol Bears in the Investec Champions Cup a fortnight ago.
So, with only Vernon Paulo available from the current squad, the Stormers coach John Dobson has sent out an SOS to Scarra Ntubeni, who retired after the Currie Cup, to join training again and help the side out of a tough spot.
The Stormers have a break for the entire November after the Ulster clash, but have acknowledged the importance of going into that break on a high, and are wary of Ulster, especially as they drew their match against the Northern Irish side when the two last met in Belfast earlier this year.
Other than Paulo and Ntubeni, the Stormers have also added young Altus Rabe to their training group, especially with few options with such a specialist position.
Paulo has not played since the Edinburgh game where he struggled, and the Stormers lost no less than 11 lineouts in the game, contributing heavily to their defeat in the Scottish capital.
“Vernon, Scarra and Alus all came in this morning and started working on the detail surrounding the lineouts, scrums and the detail of our structure,” Stormers skills coach Labeeb Levy said during the team’s media update.
“We are a team that plays within a system and it is not about the individual. So these guys will carry us through this time of crisis.”
Asked about Ntubeni’s fitness, given he is no longer a squad member, Levy smiled and said “it could be better”
“You must remember he was retired and he is a stop gap measure, a medical joker as you could call it. Dobbo (head coach John Dobson) is looking around to see what other hookers are available but these guys need to help us get through this one.”
Levy also revealed that Venter would be undergoing his return-to-play protocol test Tuesday to assess his symptoms, but that he would not be available for selection for the weekend, and while he didn’t want to speculate about Fourie’s status, it was also clear he would not be available for the weekend.
“A hamstring is a tricky thing, sometimes it takes around four to six weeks and sometimes longer,” Levy said.
The one smattering of good news is that the Stormers may well have Ruan Ackermann back, although he still needs to pass a fitness test on Tuesday.
“He will be given the best possible chance to play and a decision will be made after training.”
While Ulster have lost a few players ahead of the Nations Championship match, they have flown in replacements and Levy said the Stormers would be playing their “strongest possible squad, given the resting protocols for some players.”
“But make no mistake, we want to win this one.”
The Stormers will name their side for the clash on Wednesday.