Doubts surrounding the availability of Tiaan Liebenberg and Scarra Ntubeni has forced the Stormers management to urgently search for a back-up to Deon Fourie for the start of the Super Rugby campaign.
According to Planet Rugby Springbok Tiaan Liebenberg was still recovering from a back injury, according to Stormers coach Allister Coetzee, and was unable to take contact at training, though he would join the Stormers’ pre-season camp in Hermanus next week.
Another hooker, Scarra Ntubeni, suffered a freak injury at training earlier this week when a fellow player fell on his shoulder – an injury which was likely to keep him on the sidelines for a month.
Coetzee said Deon Fourie was the only number two in the squad who would be ready for action in their first Super Rugby match against the Bulls, at Loftus Versfeld, on February 22.
“I will be on the lookout for a hooker even outside the province because it is a real concern at this stage,” Coetzee said.
“At this stage Scarra’s injury may not require an operation but we’ll know more about his condition next week, when it will be reassessed.
“The injury came about because of a training ground accident and we’ll treat him conservatively because he’s a vital player for us.
“Tiaan is working on his throw-ins but he may not have contact at training.
“We need to find a hooker that suits our team.”
Fourie played as a loosie for the greater part of last season but Coetzee said the plan was to use him as an out-and-out hooker this year. He had decided to continue his career in Cape Town despite a lucrative offer from Top 14 club Toulon.
So much for the early Stormers optimism about clinching the SA Conference pole position. Their already fragile frontrow has been further reduced to a puff!
Liebenberg is their only scrimmaging hooker, with Fourie and Scarra more glorified run abouts, much like Schalk Brits, who was also seen as a hero under bokberg’s hangs.
Didn’t The 2007 RWC Winning Coach recommend that Luke become a hooker?
O donner Stormpies, the season haven’t even started yet…
Have they tried Seapoint Main Road? I can vouch there is about 2 or 3 of them on every corner at discount prices.
4 @ Bliksem:
LOL. And they’re probably goods for 60 minutes before you need to substitute them. Problem is the sub’ wants to be paid for a full hour as well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@ Scrumdown:
Well I think its the only time when it will be a good thing when the fans tell them they suck. Cause they do…….
@ Bliksem:
More penalties for hands in the ruck????
@ Stormersboy:
At least they will keep their hands on the ball
Question though. Ain’t Habana and Fourie going to France and England respectively?
Habana is off to Toulon at the end of 2013, but Fourie decided against going overseas, and opted to stay at WP. Dunno if that was smart? He will battle to mail down a loose forward position, and will likely play second fiddle to Tiaan Liebenberg. The back injury that is keeping Liebenberg sidelined might count in his favour.
If the Stormers management are smart they’ll play Deon at 6 for a few games. He really made an impact last year.
I think that Alistair is hoping he’ll have that impact at 2, much like Bismark sometimes does. Somehow Deon just came into his own at 6 in a way he never was able to do at 2, as far as deck play is concerned.
@Stormersboy,
As good as Fourie was in the CC, I wonder if he will have the same latitude in Super 15. The intensity and physicality is a step up. In addition almost every S15 has a top notch fetcher he will be up against. Hooper, Hodgeson, Pocock, Messam, Mc Gill, Mc Caw, Brussow, and quite a few more. That said Brussow and Schoeman are of similar stature, so who knows, he may be a revelation. The bigger loosies like Vermeulen, Rhodes and Elstadt could free him up a lot.
@ Cheetah4eva:
It’s a good question for sure, I for one would be very interested in finding out!
He did OK against the Sharks loosies, who are Super Ruby finalists, the only front line player they were missing was Bismark. We on the other hand were missing a bunch, I’m not sure if that worked in his favour or not, but that was Currie Cup as you say.
5 @ Scrumdown:
Brilliant! Bwaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…….
4 @ Bliksem:
7 @ Stormersboy:
hahahahahahahahaha……….
13 @ Stormersboy:
The player we missed the most in the CC was Bissie. He is absolutely huge for us. Now I rate Brussow as one of the very best and remember when we played them in the last game of S15 Brussow was making a real meal for himself at the breakdowns as Bissie was sitting on the bench. Think we were down by 14 to zip against the Cheetahs at that point. Once Bissie came on it that all stopped. I know Bissie only came on around the 34 min mark and Brussow went off at the break. BUT we scored straight up once Bissie came on. He makes a massive difference. Also we were without Kanko and he too was superb for us in the lineouts towards the end of S15.
Another thing Alberts started at 7 in the CC as in the semi of S15 he played 4 lock. Again that is where he should have played and Deysel should have started at 7 he was in teriffic form then and also made a impact as soon as he came on. Deysel would have been far better at 7 on the day as Alberts never had a great game at all that day.
Sharks may struggle without Bissie, that is my feeling. Everywhere we covered.
update on Stormers injuries, by the coach
“The good news for Stormers fans is that Burger and the former Lions players were not the only additions to the group that won the Currie Cup last October.
Also back in attendance after missing out on the last stages of the Currie Cup were hooker Tiaan Liebenberg, lock Andries Bekker and loose-forwards Nizaam Carr and Rynhardt Elstadt.
The only injury problem faced by the Stormers a month out from the season concerns hooker Scarra Ntubeni, who is out for four weeks. Coach Allister Coetzee confirmed that the search for a back-up player continues.
“Tiaan (Liebenberg) is training again but hooker is a specialised position and we need back-up in that area so we are on the look-out,” said Coetzee.
The coach said the camp had been a success and the decision to go into it with just 37 players as opposed to the 50-odd of 2012 was paying off.
“We found out who the players who can play Super Rugby were during the Currie Cup so there was no need for a big group this year,” said Coetzee.
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