DHL Stormers injury report – 14/04/14

Squad captain Jean de Villiers, prop Pat Cilliers and lock/flank Jurie van Vuuren are all back on deck this week, and available for selection against the Lions.

Hookers Scarra Ntubeni and Tiaan Liebenberg and wing Kobus van Wyk are not available for selection as yet, whilst flank Schalk Burger and winger Cheslin Kolbe will be given until later in the week to see if they are available.

The full DHL Stormers injury report (14/04/14):

– Cilliers (rib), Van Vuuren (shoulder) and De Villiers (knee) are all available for selection this week.
– Prop Oli Kebble (slight knock to knee) sat out of training this afternoon, but should definitely be available for selection.
– Burger (quad muscle) and Kolbe (knee) both ran at 70% today and will be put through another fitness test on Tuesday. Kolbe is yet to play a match in 2014, after picking up an knee injury during pre-season training.
– Kobus van Wyk (abductor muscle) is not available for selection this week.
– Extended squad members, hookers Mike Willemse (sternum) and lock Tazz Fuzani (hip pointer), are not available for selection this week after picking up minor injuries on Vodacom Cup duty this past weekend.
– Hookers Ntubeni (calf muscle) and Liebenberg (neck) will be available for selection after the Cheetahs game (in two weeks’ time).
– Locks Eben Etzebeth (foot) and Manuel Carizza (wrist) will be back on deck in the middle of May. Etzebeth is yet to feature in 2014.
– Locks Rynhardt Elstadt (shoulder) and De Kock Steenkamp (groin) – both of whom have undergone surgery again on their injuries – will not feature again in the 2014 Super Rugby tournament.

The DHL Stormers will host the Lions at DHL Newlands this Saturday (kick-off 17h05) and coach Allister Coetzee told www.iamastormer.com: “We’ve (all) had a good week off, ahead of our next seven-week cycle.

“We trained well this morning, you can see the guys have benefitted from the week. Of course, our focus is on this weekend and we’re determined to get back to winning ways.

“We’ve got nine matches left this season… of which seven are SA derbies, so it’s important to start this next phase of our campaign with a win. As you know, winning breeds confidence and you can see that with a team like the Western Force.”