Cape Town - Nizaam Carr has lost his battle against a shoulder injury and will miss out on Saturday’s Super Rugby clash against the Western Force in Perth.
The Stormers announced on Monday that Carr will be flying home from Perth and will not replaced in the touring squad as there is enough cover among the forwards and backs.
Carr was holding his right shoulder when he went off in the 36th minute at AAMI Park on Saturday, and the Stormers management said on Monday that he would see a specialist in Cape Town.
Springbok squad member Sikhumbuzo Notshe is likely to replace Carr at No 6 against the Force (13.45pm kickoff), and it is a welcome return to the starting line-up after he was a bit unlucky to sit on the bench in last Saturday’s record 57-31 victory over the Rebels in Melbourne.
Stormers coach Robbie Fleck said last week that it had been a “tough selection” to leave Notshe out, with Carr moving to openside flank, Springbok incumbent Siya Kolisi at blindside and Schalk Burger coming back from an ankle injury at No 8 and taking over the captaincy from the injured Frans Malherbe, with Juan de Jongh at the Springbok Sevens.
Burger has often interchanged with Carr, Notshe and Kolisi as Fleck rotated them throughout the season, but the coach is likely to keep Burger at No 8 for captaincy reasons.
Notshe was as lively as ever with ball-in-hand against the Rebels and broke through the defence to set up Damian de Allende’s try in the second half. He also made a number of tackles and even used the boot to get effect.
He would want to put in another big performance against the Force to not only push for a starting spot at the Stormers, but also impress Springbok coach Allister Coetzee ahead of the Rugby Championship, especially with Warren Whiteley and Duane Vermeulen currently injured.
It is unclear when Vermeulen will be over his elbow muscle tear, with Springbok team doctor Konrad von Hagen stating on June 20 that the former Stormers captain could be out for anything between two and six weeks, depending on how the injury responds to treatment.
Whiteley is also out for around six weeks with an AC joint problem in his right shoulder, so both players are unlikely to get any game time before the Boks’ opening Rugby Championship clash against Argentina in Nelspruit on August 20.
Notshe is capable of playing in all three loose-forward positions, but favours the No 8 berth and is able to use his explosive speed off the back of the scrum. He has also increased his work-rate on defence and in terms of physicality, which is a critical component at Test level.
In terms of the Stormers, Rynhardt Elstadt is set to provide loose-forward cover on the bench, while Jean Kleyn can come in as an additional lock if Fleck decides to continue using six substitute forwards and just two backs.
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