Stormers bolstered by player returns for Lions derby

The Stormers have been bolstered by a number of players returning from injury just in time for their United Rugby Championship (URC) derby against the Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday.

Adding to that, former Lions and Stormers loose forward, Hacjivah Dayimani, who has spent the last few years plying his trade in France, has returned to the Cape side and is set to slot straight into the squad for this weekend’s game.

Due to Springbok resting protocols the Stormers are likely to be without Damian Willemse and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu for the match, while Cobus Reinach is currently sidelined after undergoing shoulder surgery and should be out for another month.

So it is a big boost for the team that Ruhan Nel, Deon Fourie, Seabelo Senatla, Dan du Plessis, and Jean-Luc du Plessis are all back in training and up for selection.

It will be interesting to see whether the Stormers will take a chance on bringing them all into the squad for the match, or look to ease a few back in gradually, but attack coach Dawie Snyman said having them in the mix was a plus for the team.

“They have all started training with us and we still have to make a call on their availability for this week’s game,” explained Snyman.

“It will be a tough call as they’ve been out for a while and you don’t want to rush anyone back too quickly. But Ruhan is back and Deon is back and going really nicely. Keke (Morabe) has also been back in training, but he has been in and out, so he won’t be available for selection just yet.”

Dayimani back

Snyman also spoke of the impact of having Dayimani back in the team, as well as injury prone veteran Bok Fourie to assist rising star Paul de Villiers, who has arguably been the Stormers best player over the season so far.

“It’s like he’s (Dayimani) never left. He’s a special player with amazing speed and a great skill set. He links well with the backs and can add real variation. When the game gets fast and loose, he’s a guy who can open it up,” said Snyman.

“It will be good to have Deon to help out Paul (de Villiers), but obviously it is going to take two or three games to get him fully fit.

“He has worked hard on his return from injury and we know he is very tough mentally. He is prepared to take himself into dark places to achieve what he sets out to do. It is not only in helping out Paul that Deon is valuable to us, but also his leadership.”

Adding pressure to the Stormers this week is that they lost their last two URC derbies against the Sharks, which has seen them slip from top of the log to third, while the SA Shield is also still up for grabs.

“These games are massive. The SA Shield is still up for grabs, but more importantly we want to be at the top end of the log when the tournament gets to the business end. The one we dropped at home against the Sharks hurt, so these away games are important for us,” said Snyman.