Juan de Jongh has been included in the DHL Stormers team to face the Brumbies even though he was initially given at least 10 days to recover from an injury picked up in the 25-17 loss to the Toyota Cheetahs in a Vodacom Super Rugby match last weekend.
The team vice-captain has been bracketed at outside centre with Huw Jones after being given more time to recover from a hip pointer injury. Coach Allister Coetzee explained that De Jongh has made a quicker than expected recovery, but that Jones would start at outside centre if De Jongh doesn’t get through captain’s practice on Friday. Pat Howard will come into the match day squad to sit on the reserve bench should De Jongh be ruled out.
“We will never play a player if he is not ready, but Juan has made a lot of progress and he came through his fitness test today (Thursday),” said Coetzee in announcing a team with minimal changes to the one that lost to the Cheetahs.
Indeed, there are only three changes to the Stormers starting team, provided that De Jongh starts, and two of those changes are the return of key forwards Eben Etzebeth and Steven Kitshoff. Both were rested for the Bloemfontein trip, with Etzebeth coming back for Jean Kleyn at No 4 lock, while Oli Kebble makes way for Kitshoff at loosehead prop. Kleyn is on the bench for the Brumbies game, but Kebble drops out of the squad entirely, with Alistair Vermaak providing the loosehead back-up.
The other change is an injury enforced one, with Manuel Carizza returning to the starting team for the first time since the win over the Waratahs in Sydney. Ruan Botha wore the No 5 jersey in the interim but has been forced out with an ankle ligament injury that will take between three and six weeks to heal. The Stormers have their second bye scheduled for next week.
Looking ahead to the Brumbies game, Coetzee said that the Brumbies were a good side who were well organised in all aspects of the game.
“They don’t gift you possession,” he said.
“They’re well coached and they have a great maul and lineout, both attack-wise and defensively, and we know we’ll really have to be up for this one if we are to win. We’re obviously aware we weren’t good enough last week against the Cheetahs and we’ve had a disrupted week of training because of the Springbok camp.
“But we’re looking forward to being back at Newlands in front of our own crowd.”
DHL Stormers team: 15.Cheslin Kolbe, 14.Johnny Kotze, 13.Juan de Jongh/Huw Jones, 12.Damian de Allende, 11.Dillyn Leyds, 10.Demetri Catrakilis, 9.Nic Groom, 8.Duane Vermeulen (captain), 7.Siya Kolisi, 6.Schalk Burger, 5.Manuel Carizza, 4.Eben Etzebeth, 3.Frans Malherbe, 2.Bongi Mbonambi, 1.Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16.Scarra Ntubeni, 17.Ali Vermaak, 18.Vincent Koch, 19.Jean Kleyn, 20.Nizaam Carr, 21.Louis Schreuder, 22.Kurt Coleman, 23.Huw Jones/Pat Howard.
