Duane not improving enough
Stormers captain Duane Vermeulen has not improved significantly enough to feature in the first round of Super Rugby play-offs.
The Stormers host the Brumbies at Newlands on Saturday and the burly Springbok will not be considered.
Should the Stormers beat the Brumbies at Newlands, they would travel to Sydney to face the Waratahs in the semifinals.
Vermeulen, who has missed the Stormers' last two games with a bulging neck disc that at one stage threatened his World Cup prospects, is making "good progress" on the road to recovery.
However, coach Allister Coetzee said that the improvement is "not enough" for this week.
"Hopefully, going forward, there is still an opportunity for him [to play]," Coetzee told a media scrum at the team's training base.
He added that the second and third opinions on the injury were the same as the first.
"It is now about getting Duane to be pain free and [improve] his range [of movements] – those are the biggest issues," the coach said.
"He is coming along nicely. Another week or two, who knows."
Coetzee said they will not take any chances and rush the Bok back too soon.
"We want to be absolutely sure and not set him back again," he said, adding: "As soon as he is pain free, he will start with his cardio sessions.
"Only thereafter will he get onto the field and have some contact.
"The big thing is to make sure the player is mentally comfortable – that is the biggest issue, he has to get over that mental barrier."
Coetzee said he wouldn't rule Vermeulen out completely of playing again this season.
"Duane will want to play, so we have to get the balance right."
The good news is that hooker Siyabonga Ntubeni trained well on Monday, after recovering from a calf injury that sidelined him the last couple of weeks.
He will be considered for the encounter with the Brumbies, but only after he has passed all the fitness tests.
"I want to see him full tilt, acceleration on a field," Coetzee said.
"Hopefully, weather permitting, he will be on the field and running flat out, change direction and things like that.
"That is where the test for his calf injury will be."
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