Assistant coach Rito Hlungwani says the DHL Stormers are unsure whether they have two key players for Saturday’s clash with the Sharks at the Cape Town Stadium.
The coastal rivals meet this week in their final Vodacom URC match of 2024. They made a strong statement in round 8 of last week’s competition. The Stormers beat the Lions in Cape Town and the Sharks stunned the Vodacom Bulls at Kings Park.
But the Stormers are sweating the fitness of playmaker Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and speedster Leolin Zas. Feinberg-Mngomezulu left the Lions game with a hip pointer that typically has a recovery time of one to three weeks, while Zas is nursing an undisclosed injury.
URC status: SA rivals set for derby rematch
Speaking at the Stormers conference on Monday, Hlungwani commented on the status of the players and mentioned the presence of number eight Evan Roos, who has been absent from training for an extended period of time.
“Sacha has been trained and is out on the field today,” he told reporters. “Zas hasn’t trained so I’m not sure if he can make it, but we might take a look tomorrow (Tuesday).
“There are two people (who are worried). “I can’t contact Evan yet, but he is also receiving training.”
The Stormers have wing cover for Zas in Angelo Davids and Seabelo Senatla, but the readiness of Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who returned from concussion last week, is vital.
He started alongside fellow Springbok Manie Libbok at inside centre, with the Stormers’ options limited to 12 with Dan du Plessis and Damian Willemse out injured.
URC status: SA rivals set for derby rematch
“It’s always good when a player comes back from injury and a player of Sacha’s caliber comes back,” Hlungwani said. “It’s unfortunate he left work early (Saturday), but it didn’t seem too serious at that moment on the field. I might pick him up this weekend.
“He’s been pretty unlucky with injuries, but hopefully he can play a few games together.”
The Sharks suffered disruption last week when captain Siya Kolisi (calf), hooker Dylan Richardson and lock Emile van Heerden (both illness) withdrew before the match. Richardson’s replacement, Ethan Bester, appears to have suffered a concussion during a tackle on the Bulls’ Cameron Hanekom.
The Durbanites have already missed out on Bok stars Eben Etzebeth, Bongi Mbonambi, Grant Williams and Lukhanyo Am, but Hlungwani is not reading too much into who he might bring to Cape Town this week.
“We have no control over who they choose or who they bring in. So we are preparing based on what we want to do well,” he said. “We don’t wonder if they brought the strongest team. You can train less, or you can train more by bringing in your weakest team.
“People know Saturday is business as usual. So whatever we do this week – and as much as we want to enjoy Christmas – we still want to come out on Saturday, make Cape Town smile and leave the stadium with no regrets.
“We definitely want to go out there and give our best for this game, we really want to win. This changes how the season finds us in the future.
“This is very important to us and we will do everything we can to make sure we are well prepared to achieve the results we want.”
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
