CAPE TOWN – The injury blows the Stormers took against the Hurricanes on Saturday were about the only bad things about their Super Rugby-opening performance.
They were superb, and while this competition isn’t won in the first round, Stormers fans have more than enough reason to be optimistic about what's to come.
John Dobson’s side’s 27-0 victory on Saturday afternoon was built on an outstanding effort from their Springbok-wealthy forward pack. Their scrum and maul were massive, and their breakdown work was big.
The Stormers controlled the tempo of the game, they gave the Hurricanes – whose own suffering was made worse by their error rate and ill-discipline – no chance.
The halfback duo of Damian Willemse and Herschel Jantjies, as a pair, also produced a performance that showed just why they are so highly rated. And while the Stormers should be given credit for how they remained in control of the game even after losing some of their key men, it was a top performance that came at a high price.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/iamastormer?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#iamastormer #dhldelivers
— DHL STORMERS (@THESTORMERS)
Captain Siya Kolisi, fellow loose forward Jaco Coetzee and hooker Bongi Mbonambi all left the field with injuries at the weekend.
Kolisi was forced off after just 24 minutes with a knee injury after he sustained while being tackled without the ball by Hurricanes hooker Ricky Riccitelli.
Mbonambi was also assisted off the field in the second half after suffering a hamstring injury.
During the post-match press conference, Dobson said that both Kolisi and Mbonambi will miss the big one against the Bulls this weekend.
“Siya has done a knee injury. He is being scanned. It is not an incidental injury. It is a hell of a blow, losing your skipper in the first 20 minutes of a campaign, given what he means to the team. He could be out for a few weeks. So it’s a big blow.
“Bongi has done some hamstring damage. He is also being scanned. I don’t think they will be in the mix for next week.”
Dobson went on to say that Coetzee’s injury didn’t look as serious.
“He twisted his groin, he felt it go. We don’t know yet. He thinks he is OK. I thought he was absolutely outstanding. That guy is going to go so far in South African rugby. He is just a freak. So I hope it’s not too serious.”
On a more positive note, the Stormers are expecting to welcome loose forwards Juarno Augustus and Cobus Wiese back this week, while JD Schickerling is expected to be fit next week.