The DHL Stormers’ injury list is a lengthy one, with exactly the number of players needed in a 15-man starting team included in the group of players currently not playing included in an injury update released on Wednesday.
The bad news is that the defensive problems in the wide channels that have become a bit of a Stormers Achilles heel may not have an easy fix outside of good coaching and hard work on the training field as it looks like outside centre Ruhan Nel may be out for the rest of the season.
He has been listed as having a long term injury, along with scrumhalf Imad Khan and looseforward Keke Morabe.
The last mentioned suffered a leg fracture playing for the Stormers in their first Investec Champions Cup fixture against Toulon in Gqeberha in early December while Khan, like Nel, has undergone shoulder surgery.
Khan is regarded as a key part of the Stormers’ scrumhalf stocks going forward but was unlikely to have been used this season, but the Stormers have been missing their organiser of the defensive system.
The other long term absentees who definitely won’t feature again this season are Springbok double World Cup winning loosehead Steven Kitshoff, who may not play again, and the player who was brought to Cape Town when he left for Ulster two seasons ago, Lizo Gqoboko.
The acquisition from the Bulls has hardly played for the Stormers because of an Achilles injury.
LIBBOK RETURN UP IN THE AIR
Bok flyhalf Manie Libbok is still an up in the air situation when it comes to his return from the leg injury sustained against Leinster late last month, with specialists waiting to see how he recovers from treatment.
The good news though is that Libbok should have more than adequate replacements available when the Stormers go to Ulster and Scarlets in the second half of March for what could be two crucial games in their quest for a top eight finish in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Damian Willemse, both of whom have played No 10 for their country, are due to play again in four weeks, as is Suleiman Hartzenberg, who could provide a solution to any problems created by the continued absence of Nel at outside centre.
Also due back in time for the tour is utility back Jean-Luc du Plessis, who these days is deployed more as an inside centre than as a flyhalf.
Hartzenberg has only played wing this season and he has excelled there but he is considered a future international No 13.
Lock JD Schickerling (shoulder), wing Seabelo Senatla (calf) and young fullback JC Mars (ankle) could be back in four weeks although it seems unlikely as in their cases their return to the playing field is given as “at least” four weeks. So the start of the final home run in mid-April might be the earliest Stormers fans could see them back in action.
Looseforward Louw Nel and lock Conor Evans could be back and available for selection for the return north/south derby against the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria on 1 March.