DHL Stormers update – 15/01/15
The team arrived in Hermanus early on Tuesday evening where they were treated to a braai at their sea-side base, the Windsor.
On Wednesday, the entire playing squad set out on a team-building session, which saw them – amongst other things – do some zip-lining (abseiling) in the mountains and swimming in the ocean, where they also interacted with local lifeguards who addressed the squad.
After a busy Wednesday, which started at 07h00, the team then gathered for a social function where they had a braai and enjoyed each other’s company in a less pressurised environment – once again with some meat on coals!
On Thursday morning, the squad started off with an early team meeting at their hotel before doing their first field session of the training camp under the watchful eye of SA Rugby breakdown specialist, Richie Gray, who has spent the week with the DHL Stormers – having last week visited the Bulls as part of the SA Rugby High Performance Mobi-Unit.
After a spot of lunch and a quick recovery session, the players headed back to Hermanus Primary School for their second session of the day.
On Friday, their last day on camp, the players will start off with a team meeting once again before their final training session of the week at Hermanus Primary – an open session between 10h00 and 11h00 for the public, who will have an opportunity to meet their favourite players and get autographs after training.
The 2015 captain and vice-captain will also be revealed to the media shortly before lunch-time, as the team begins to ramp up its preparations ahead of their pre-season matches which get underway next weekend (v SWD – January 24; v Cheetahs – January 30; v Boland – February 7) before their Vodacom Super Rugby campaign opens on February 14.
DHL Stormers head coach Allister Coetzee told the www.iamastormer.com website: “It’s been a busy few days, but it’s been valuable spending this time together.
“We have one more session left and we’re looking forward to getting through even more (tomorrow) before returning home on Saturday morning.”
* A few players sat out training on Thursday with minor niggles, most notably flanker Siya Kolisi and centre Johnny Kotze, whilst new Springbok flanker Nizaam Carr is not on camp after being admitted to hospital earlier this week with a viral infection.
The full DHL Stormers injury report (15/01/15):
– Prop Frans Malherbe (ankle) and locks Jean Kleyn (meniscus) and Ruan Botha (ankle) all continue to respond well to treatment from their long-term injuries. They are progressing well with their current on-field training load.
– Flanker Nizaam Carr was admitted to hospital earlier this week for precautionary reasons after contracting a viral infection.
– Flanker Siya Kolisi (tight hamstring) sat out today and will remain sidelined until Monday as a precautionary measure.
– Centre Johnny Kotze suffered a minor ankle sprain earlier this week and will be out of action for approximately seven days.
