Youngsters to fill Stormers pivot gap

Scans revealed he suffered grade two damage to his medial collateral ligament (mcl) as well as partial posterior cruciate ligament (pcl) damage but fortunately for the 22-year-old, he will not require any surgery.

Stormers coach Robbie Fleck is hopeful the pivot would return to action after June Tests break.

"Robert du Preez suffered a grade two mcl and partial pcl damage to his knee. It, however, does not require surgery and it looks like he will be out for about 12 weeks. He should be fit and ready to go after the June Test break.

"He is obviously gutted but he has a chance of coming back towards the end of the campaign. If things go well, she should be ready for the playoffs, so it's not the end of his season," Fleck said.

This has thrown a spanner in the works as the Stormers are thin in that department but Fleck is adamant he will not go searching for an experienced flyhalf, meaning he will turn to the likes of Brandon Thompson and Jean-Luc du Plessis to fill the gap.

"We won't be looking for an experienced flyhalf. We have always said that we will back the youngsters in the setup. We have two good youngsters in Brandon Thompson and Jean-Luc du Plessis so we will be looking at introducing them into the setup. They have both done the whole pre-season with us, so it's an exciting opportunity for them," he added.

Du Preez' place in the starting XV will be taken by Kurt Coleman, who impressed his coach in their 20-10 victory over the Cheetahs in Round Two.

"I am very happy with him [Kurt Coleman]. He went on and immediately had to slot a difficult penalty, and credit to him for showing a lot of guts. He kicked really well and showed some neat touches despite not having played much rugby thus far.

"For him, it's important he regains his rhythm and confidence and I think that [his performance] is a step in the right direction for him," Fleck stated.

By Tauriq Ebrahim

@Tauriq365

@rugby365com