Injury crisis hits Stormers hard
By Zelim Nel
The Stormers will spend the first few minutes of training putting names to faces as they welcome replacement players into the wider squad for this week's match against the Western Force at Newlands.
"We've had such bad luck with injuries, we'll be giving local guys from outside the 36-man squad a chance," said coach Rassie Erasmus in the aftermath of the team's 28-14 loss to the Chiefs on Saturday.
Even the most intricate contingency plan would have been declared redundant against the Chiefs as the skeleton-crew Stormers lost three more starters to injury.
A difficult season for Erasmus became impossible when Conrad Jantjes fractured his lower leg in a horror-collision with Chiefs flanker Liam Messam during the first-quarter of play. It is believed the fullback will be sidelined for the remainder of the year.
Meanwhile, Schalk Burger will be anxiously awaiting the results of a scan today after he left the field just before half-time with a calf strain and prop JD Moller similarly plodded off after a recurring shoulder injury flared up again.
The extent of the team's injury list is almost laughable except for the fact the Stormers must now somehow regroup in defence of their pride against a fully-loaded Force team that is fighting for semi-final survival - the only blips on their radar are a question mark over centre James O'Connor's fitness and scrumhalf Josh Valentine's disciplinary hearing on Tuesday after being cited for a dangerous tackle on Bulls halfback Fourie du Preez on Saturday.
The Stormers are bringing up the rear in eleventh place with three wins in 11 attempts while the Force are in ninth place with a 5-5-1 record and 30 log points.
But their ranking belies a team that has toppled leading title-contenders this season; the Perth side beat the Brumbies, drew with defending champions Crusaders in Christchurch and tip-toed past the Waratahs in Sydney three weeks ago.
A one-point loss to current log-leaders Hurricanes, and the Force's close-run 32-29 defeat in Pretoria last week, waylaid a team that will feel it deserves to be higher on the table.
Unlike the Stormers' opponents in recent weeks, the Force are perhaps the competition's most balanced outfit and cannot be designated as an out-and-out running team.
Coach John Mitchell has hitched his wagon to flyhalf Matt Giteau, handing the playmaker the reins to make tactical on-field decisions. The diminutive dynamo has rewarded the coach's faith in him, starring in a team ranked among the best in converting linebreaks into tries as winger Cameron Shepherd leads the competition with seven tries, while Giteau is listed fourth overall in points-scored.
The Force are also competent in the set pieces, with captain Nathan Sharpe leading the competition's third-most prolific lineout, and veteran hooker Tai McIsaac fronting a scrum that held its own against the Bulls.
The Australians pride themselves on their conditioning and mobility, and their affinity for moving the ball through hands is an attempt to leverage this strength against more cumbersome opponents with a view to wearing them down late in the game.
In addition, Mitchell's team are thrifty on defence, averaging the fewest missed tackles per game, and they're equally frugal at the breakdown.
This is particularly bad news for the Stormers, who have lacked innovation and ingenuity on attack this season and, while the Force have scored 35 tries, Erasmus' charges have crossed the line just 22 times.
The Stormers coach is convinced that relentless defence and an advantage in the territory game are vital ingredients in a recipe for success, but he will have noted the continued slump in form of flyhalf Willem de Waal.
The return to fitness of Gcobani Bobo could see Peter Grant gifted another opportunity to kick for the corners at pivot, while lock Andries Bekker and tighthead prop Brian Mujati will have their injuries assessed this week.
Chiefs coach Ian Foster congratulated the Stormers on their resolute commitment to remaining competitive despite the absence of so many first-choice players. Erasmus will be hoping for more of the same as his team switch to damage control for the remainder of the season.
