Cape Town - The Stormers could have a major problem on their hands as they face the prospect of being without Peter Grant for at least the next four weeks due to an ankle injury.
Although Stormers coach Allister Coetzee could not be reached to confirm Grant’s status on Tuesday night, it is believed that Grant’s injury is fairly serious and that he is on crutches.
Coetzee said on Monday that the 28-year-old was injured during training last week, and was ordered to be “off his feet” over the weekend. He saw a specialist on Tuesday, and is understood to have been ruled out for a minimum of four weeks.
This means that Grant is set to miss four big games – the Brumbies this weekend, the Crusaders next Saturday, the Cheetahs a week later and then the return match against the Sharks at Newlands.
The Stormers then go on tour to take on the Hurricanes, Blues, Waratahs and Rebels.
Elton Jantjies has started all three matches at flyhalf this season, and will wear the No 10 jersey on Saturday against the Brumbies. But with Grant out, the Stormers may have to call on the inexperienced Kurt Coleman and Gary van Aswegen as back-up for Jantjies.
Coetzee has said previously that scrumhalves Louis Schreuder and Dewaldt Duvenage can fill in at No 10, while fullback Joe Pietersen can also play at flyhalf.
Those players could do a job off the bench, but it would be wise to get a specialist pivot such as Coleman, who impressed in the Stormers warm-up games, in the event of an injury to Jantjies.
Coetzee is also believed to have resisted the temptation of bringing Springbok centre Juan de Jongh straight back into the starting line-up. De Jongh, who has recovered from a hamstring injury, is set to play off the bench against the Brumbies, with youngster Damian de Allende holding on to the No 12 jersey following a strong performance against the Chiefs.
While De Jongh is a proven Test-class midfielder, it would be understandable if Coetzee is reluctant to throw him straight into the fray as hamstring injuries are always tricky to deal with. De Allende also showed that he can handle Super Rugby against the Chiefs after disappointing displays against the Bulls and Sharks.
Meanwhile, if the Stormers can stop George Smith from stealing their ball at the breakdowns, they would be halfway to beating the Brumbies. Smith broke Cape hearts when he intercepted that infamous Brok Harris pass in the 77th minute at Newlands in 2010 to hand the Brumbies a 19-17 victory.
But, of course, it is Smith’s ability to slow down the opposition’s ball and create turnovers at the rucks that has made him a legend over the years.
At 32, Smith has shown in the two games that he has featured for the Brumbies this year that he is still as sharp as ever, while he has also developed his ball-carrying ability. The Stormers will have to rely on hooker Deon Fourie to go toe to toe with Smith at the breakdowns on Saturday.
Smith’s work allowed big No 8 Fotu Auelua to punch large holes in the Sharks defence. “Smith is playing well. He knows when to chase a ball and when not to chase a ball. He’s seen it all,” Stormers forwards coach Matthew Proudfoot told the Cape Times on Tuesday.
“I think he is probably the most experienced player in Super Rugby this year, and that’s a fantastic asset to have in the pack. If they are in any trouble, he would be able to guide them out of it.
“We just have to be accurate. I thought our ball-carries have been very good and has given us a lot of momentum in this competition. We just have to focus on that and work on our ball placement in contact. That’s got to be good, and we have to be accurate in our cleans.”
Cape Times