Although losing wing Seabelo Senatla for an extended length of time would be devastating, the Stormers are confident that they have “a lot of troops” who can step up when needed.
Senatla was badly wiped out by Bundee Aki, resulting in a pectoral injury, as the reigning champions began their United Rugby Championship title defense with a 38-15 win against Connacht at the weekend in Stellenbosch.
The incident happened in the second half of the game on Saturday, and Stormers assistant coach Rito Hlungwani stated they are still awaiting medical information on Senatla’s injuries during a press conference on Monday.
“Seabelo is the sole area of injury concern. Although we sent him for scans, Hlungwani remarked, “we are still waiting”.”
We have many young people who can step in. Zas worked out with us today, but we’ll see how he does.
Suleiman Hartzenberg is capable of playing on the wings as well. We have a couple possibilities, but we’ll wait and see what happens before deciding tomorrow (Tuesday).
“Losing a player with such experience is always a major blow. However, we have quite a few warriors that are willing to volunteer and do the task.
The Stormers team has been given an extra boost, according to the forwards coach, with their Springboks back in the mix after the Rugby Championship — whether or not they play against Edinburgh at Cape Town Stadium this Sunday at 2 p.m.
“We have begun the Boks’ reintegration, but we will wait to see how they perform. Tomorrow (Tuesday), we’ll decide,” Hlungwani added.
Even having the Springboks participate in training is always welcome.
Although they weren’t at their best, the Scottish team was edged out by the Bulls at Loftus on Saturday, and the Stormers aren’t seeing that as a cause to get overconfident.
They are a really talented group, and they have a sizable South African contingent, said Hlungwani.
We anticipate a tough set-piece duel since they usually come out firing at scrum time.
“We discussed the significance of maintaining our mental acuity. Although there is certainly room for improvement, the game against Connacht was a decent start.