ZELIM NEL

Rynhardt Elstadt will jog on to Newlands for the first time in eight months when the Stormers host the Cheetahs in a Super 15 warmup match at Newlands on Saturday.

“Elstadt is ready,” coach Allister Coetzee announced with a grin after training yesterday afternoon.

The enforcer lock underwent surgery after suffering a season-ending knee injury during the Stormers’ ill-fated home semi-final showdown with the Crusaders in May last year.

His was one of several injuries to frontline players that ultimately denied Western Province the physicality that had been so evident during the inaugural Super 15 competition.

Though Coetzee already boasts an impressive cache of locks – including Andries Bekker, De Kock Steenkamp, Quinn Roux and Eben Etzebeth – Elstadt’s coarse edge is critical in the Stormers’ drive to earn respect as a team that can go over opponents as readily as they can go round them.

In this regard, No 8 Duane Vermeulen’s imminent return from an equally long-term knee injury bodes well for the Stormers, while Bekker (ankle) and scrumhalf Dewaldt Duvenage (toe) are two more rehabilitating stalwarts who the coach says will be ready to “join team training next week”.

A host of fringe players, desperate to do the same, will be hellbent on getting Coetzee’s attention on Saturday before he streamlines the squad.

“I’m cutting (the squad) after the Cheetahs game, when I’ll have a good idea of where we are,” he said.

Coetzee wants the Stormers to reach his conditioning goals before they host the Hurricanes in their season-opener, and this week’s team is thus likely to feature changes across the board.

“It’s important to give everyone a fair opportunity now,” he said. “We’re going into the Super 15 with 34 players, so you want to make sure they’re all up for it when the competition starts on February 25.”

UCT halfbacks Nic Groom and Demetri Catrakilis are shoo-ins to make the final squad, and Coetzee will name both tomorrow when he announces the side to face the Cheetahs.

“I’ve given (flyhalves) Burton Francis and Gary van Aswegen a start and it’s just fair to give Demetri Catrakilis and Kurt Coleman a start going forward, and Nic Groom and Bolla Conradie will have an opportunity this weekend too,” added the Stormers coach.

“It would be great to have all the players start the season with 160 minutes of game time under the belt, but we want a minimum of 120 minutes for everyone.”

The Springbok contingent of Schalk Burger, Gio Aplon, Juan de Jongh, Jean de Villiers and Bryan Habana will likely be limited to just one half of action against the Cheetahs, while fullback Joe Pietersen (hip) and winger Gerhard van den Heever (flu) are expected to be sidelined until the pre-season scrimmage against the Kings in Port Elizabeth on February 11.

Conditioning goals and player rotation aside, Coetzee would also like to see his charges address some of the shortcomings that were evident in a 28-6 win against the Lions on Friday night.

“I’m looking for a general improvement on the things that didn’t go well,” he said.

“We’ve had a look at our scrummaging, there are a few things with the kick-chase we have to sort out, and also the importance of discipline at the breakdown – that was definitely not our standard.

“Our attitude was 100 percent correct and the effort and the fitness was unbelievable, because the Lions are a fit side and to defend and keep them out was excellent,” Coetzee added. “We want to see that again against the Cheetahs.

“It was good to start with a win, and by no means am I saying we’re not going to try and win this game, but we are trying a few things at this stage of the season.”