The DHL Stormers will likely be with out Steven Kitshoff for the beginning of their Vodacom URC marketing campaign after the Springbok prop suffered a neck ligament damage. DYLAN JACK reviews.
John Dobson confirmed the information throughout a Vodacom URC Media Spherical Desk on Tuesday afternoon, within the newest damage blow to the DHL Stormers squad.
Kitshoff, who returned to the Stormers after a season with Ulster, suffered the damage throughout the Currie Cup final-round match towards Griquas in Kimberley, the place DHL Western Province fielded a robust squad to get sport time forward of the URC season.
“He’s completed some ligaments fairly excessive up in his neck. In six weeks is the reassessment date,” Dobson mentioned.
“From what I perceive, he’s out for six weeks at the very least. Ligaments within the neck are fairly a harmful cocktail. It’s a cocktail that we need to be fairly conservative about. It’s one we need to take very cautiously. So it will likely be six weeks at minimal. We are going to then be capable to say what number of weeks after that.”
Which means, on the very least, Kitshoff will miss the Stormers’ season-opening tour, which will get underway towards the Ospreys on 28 September. The Stormers may even deal with Zebre and Edinburgh away, earlier than returning for his or her first residence sport of the season towards Munster on 19 October.
Kitshoff can also be unlikely to have recovered in time to show his health for the Springboks’ November tour, when the world champions face Scotland, England and Wales.
By way of depth at loosehead prop, the Stormers do have Sti Sithole up and operating once more, whereas veteran Brok Harris is able to get his palms soiled in what is anticipated to be his closing marketing campaign.
Dobson mentioned that there isn’t a level in looking the nation for extra backup, because it’s unlikely that there will likely be a prop of Kitshoff’s high quality accessible to contract.
“The market’s completed for this coming season. You may’t substitute Steven Kitshoff, there aren’t a lot of him simply floating round. There’s no level. That’s a distinct stage.
“We’ve received sufficient depth. Leon Lyons has are available in from Griquas, Sti is match once more, and now we have a promising teenager in Vernon Matongo.
“You don’t substitute Steven Kitshoff at this stage. All people is contracted. We had the most effective scrum differential final season with out Kitsie. We even have a promising teenager known as Brok Harris who will simply need to go once more.
“It’s the playing cards we’ve been dealt. I simply hope Steven is nearer to a six-to-eight week absence. There’s no prospect in us discovering an uncontracted loosehead who could make a distinction. You fairly again your children.”
Photograph: Darren Stewart/Gallo Pictures
