'It wasn't looking good': Stormer set for lengthy lay-off
SPOTLIGHT: Stormers assistant coach Rito Hlungwani says his team is preparing to be without one of their experienced props for a lengthy period.
In Saturday’s intense 13-8 North-South derby against the Bulls in Cape Town, prop Ali Vermaak left the field with a lower leg injury in the 22nd minute after a solid performance against Wilco Louw in the scrums.
The story continues below…
“The doc is still going to come in and give us a full report, but it wasn’t looking good, and he has gone for scans,” Stormers assistant coach Rito Hlungwani told reporters on Monday.
“It didn’t look like a small injury. It looks like something that can rule him out for quite a long time, but I am sure Dobbo will give more details later in the week.
Hlungwani added: “He [Vermaak] had a moon boot on, so it’s around the ankle. It could be anything – ankle, calf or achilles, so we are just waiting for the doc to confirm.”
The Stormers will be heading to London to face Harlequins at Twickenham Stoop in Round Three of the Champions Cup, and Oli Kebble, who joined Hlungwani in Monday’s presser, is set to fill Vermaak’s shoes on Sunday.
The Scotland international returned to Cape Town last year for a second stint with Stormers after a lengthy stay with Glasgow Warriors and a short stay with French club Oyonnax.
“You can talk about their [Harlequins’] front row depth, but ours is pretty good as well, and it is an area we are going to take them on,” said Kebble.
“They probably rested a couple of guys to target this game against us, but it doesn’t matter who puts the jersey on for us.
“To win this competition and the URC, you need two frontline packs at all times, so we are going to take them on as much as we can.”
