Stormers coach Allister Coetzee may already know the answer, but he is not about to make public his choice as back-up flyhalf to Springbok Peter Grant.

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Speaking to the media after his team’s second pre-season outing – a 17-0 win over the University of Stellenbosch at the weekend – Coetzee was giving little away.

Coetzee declared himself happy with what he had seen from the young group of mostly back-up players – an outing in which Lionel Cronjé and Elgar Watts had the opportunity to establish themselves as back-up to Grant.

And with a question mark over Grant’s return date from Japan, the Boland flyhalf, Watts, and last season’s Western Province back-up, Cronjé, may even start the season.

As it is, one of the two will start in the No.10 jersey when the Stormers step up their pre-season preparation in the tri-series against the Lions and Sharks from Friday.

“We got the answers we were looking for, with some players impressing,” Coetzee said of his team’s outing against the Maties at the weekend.

“All in all though, it is great to be giving players the vital game time they need in preparation for the season ahead.”

However, he was less revealing when it came to the question of which flyhalf will start in the pre-season matches and ultimately who will be back-up to Grant when the Bok eventually returns from Japan.

“Lionel [Cronjé] was great from broken play,”Coetzee told the media, adding: “Elgar [Watts] was steady and took good decisions.”

The other positive was the hard workout the Stormers’ back-up squad received from the young students.

The students were in good form and offered tough opposition for the Stormers, conceding just a solitary first-half try.

Playing into a stiff wind in the second half the Stormers managed two more tries, but were made to defend for long periods.

The Stormers next play the Lions in the opening match of the tri-series at Newlands on Friday, which will be the first real indication of what Coetzee’s starting XV for the season will look like.