Cape Town – Huw Jones is set to make just his third Super Rugby start for the Stormers after centre Daniel du Plessis was ruled out of next weekend’s clash against the Southern Kings with concussion.
Du Plessis – the son of former Springbok Michael – went down in a heap following a collision with Marcel Brache during Saturday’s 22-3 bonus-point victory over the Western Force in Perth.
The Stormers No 13’s head made contact with Brache’s hip as the Force wing went up to claim an up-and-under in the air in the 11th minute at the nib Stadium.
New Zealand referee Mike Fraser added insult to injury when he handed out a yellow card to Du Plessis for taking out Brache in the air, despite the Stormers player’s eyes being on the ball. Brache was actually the one who made contact with Du Plessis’ head when going up, so a fairer outcome would’ve been to rule it as a collision and neither player being penalised.
But Fraser felt it was dangerous, and while Du Plessis went off on a stretcher, Jones had to wait another 10 minutes before he could come on.
The Stormers announced on Sunday that Du Plessis is out with concussion, which comes at an unfortunate time for the 21-year-old as he hasn’t had much opportunity to showcase his class with ball-in-hand in his two appearances, despite scoring a try against the Cheetahs.
Loose forward Nizaam Carr (shoulder) will be reassessed on Monday after missing the Force game, while props Oli Kebble (knee), Frans Malherbe (neck) and JC Janse van Rensburg (knee) will return to training this week.
But Du Plessis’s absence presents a chance for Jones to continue where he left off against the Force. Jones – who made his Test debut for Scotland against Japan last month – enjoyed a number of strong ball-carries in Perth, none better than the tip-toeing manoeuvre late in the game when he broke the line and danced past a few defenders with some dynamic footwork before being brought down inside the Force 22.
Jones has been unlucky not to be given more game time this year, especially when first Damian de Allende and then Juan de Jongh were unavailable, with Stormers coach Robbie Fleck preferring Johnny Kotze to fill in at outside centre.
But Jones has that unique ability to take the outside gap and could be just what the Stormers need on attack in the play-offs to complement De Allende, with De Jongh in the Springbok Sevens squad for the Rio Olympics.
Despite scoring seven tries in the record 57-31 win over the Rebels and another three against the Force to win Africa Conference 1 and clinch a playoff spot, the Stormers backline haven’t found their rhythm on attack, with the forwards’ domination laying the platform for the two victories.
While the 100 percent rain forecast in Perth hampered their attack, the Stormers backs need to find their range in Saturday’s final league game against the Kings at Newlands (5.05pm) represents an ideal opportunity for the backline to get their game going without serious pressure on them.
But flyhalf Jean-Luc du Plessis did vary his game better the longer the Force game wore on with some outstanding tactical kicks into the corner. “They dominated the territory battle early, which put us under a bit of pressure,” Fleck told Fox Sports on Saturday. “But the guys stuck to the plan, and we managed to score some points just before the break, which gave us a lot of confidence for the second half.”
The Stormers are likely to face a New Zealand team in the Newlands playoff on July 23 – either the Highlanders or Hurricanes, depending on what happens in the last round next weekend when the Crusaders host the Hurricanes and the Highlanders are at home to the Chiefs.
The Highlanders and Hurricanes both have 48 log points and 10 wins, with the Dunedin side ahead on a points difference of 20. The Stormers, as winners of the Africa Conference 1 on 45 points, are already guaranteed to finish third on the overall log as they cannot surpass the Lions (52) and Chiefs (51), and will face the sixth-placed team in the playoffs.
– @IndyCapeSport