Stormers forwards coach Rito Hlungwani confirmed reported fears on Monday, stating that star flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu has suffered a Syndesmosis injury, and he will be out for a fair bit of time.
Reports first surfaced on Sunday naming the injury Feinberg-Mngomezulu had picked up, that is more commonly known as a high ankle sprain, which is damage to the ligaments connecting the tibia and fibula, while scoring a try in their quarterfinal win over Cardiff on Saturday.
The expected recovery time for this type of injury depends on the severity of it, with the lower end six weeks and higher end four months.
Reports have suggested that Feinberg-Mngomezulu could be out for three months, which would see him in a race against time to be fit for the Springboks’ Greatest Rivalry Tour against the All Blacks, which starts in August.
Hlungwani couldn’t elaborate on a timeframe for his return, but it is almost certain that one of the most exciting players in world rugby will miss the Springboks Nations Championship games against England, Scotland and Wales in July.
“As far as I know it is a Syndesmosis injury, so he is going to be out for a while, but for how long I am not sure,” said Hlungwani during a Stormers online press briefing on Monday.
It is a major loss for the Stormers going into an incredibly tough United Rugby Championship (URC) semifinal against defending champions Leinster in Dublin on Saturday.
Jurie Mathee backed
Back-up flyhalf Jurie Mathee has been backed by Director of Rugby John Dobson, and Hlungwani, to ably step into the massive hole left by Feinberg-Mngomezulu against the Irish giants.
Mathee superbly led the line in their opening URC fixture of the season last year, which was against Leinster in Cape Town, with the Stormers winning that match 35-0, but it was against a very weakened touring team, which will be completely different this weekend with all of their Irish stars back.
“If you look at that first URC game against Leinster, it will be a different team that we are playing now in terms of personnel, but Jurie started then and it really worked out well for us. So Jurie is someone who is ready to step in,” said Hlungwani.
“He has never really been out of the team, he has played tough games for us, so we are quite confident that he will come in and do his thing.
“In terms of how we play, we let the players play to their strengths, so Jurie fits in nicely. If it changes anything great, because he will be playing to his strengths. But there will be no particular change in plans in how we play.
“We will still be doing the simple stuff. You don’t want to play in your half, you want to get into their 22m and convert.
“So the general rugby approach. The team that spends more time in the opposition 22m has a better chance of scoring more points. It is what we have been trying to get right over the past few months and we will be doing the same this weekend.”
