NO BOK-UP: Last-placed Stormers’ internationals still sidelined for Munster home game
Stormers coach John Dobson says his manskappe will have no Springbok backup for their first home game of the United Rugby Championship against Munster.
The Kaapse span is heel laaste in the URC standings and in desperate need of a boost after a disappointing European tour. It started with a 37-24 loss against Ospreys, and then the hard work of the 36-5 klap they gave Zebre Parma in Italy was undone by this past weekend’s 38-7 defeat to Edinburgh.
But Dobson had more slegte nuus for Stormers fans who expect their team to be back to near full-strength for Saturday’s game against Munster at Cape Town Stadium.
Flyhalf Manie Libbok, who recently got married to his high school sweetheart Verna Arries, hou nog honeymoon and yster tighthead prop Frans Malherbe is nog op holiday after helping South Africa win the Rugby Championship.
Of the two being unavailable against Munster but expected back for the game against Glasgow, Dobson says of his ‘returning Boks’: “We haven’t got any fit ones left [with Steven Kitshoff and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu also out injured]. But I think Manie and Frans are coming in for the Glasgow [Warriors] game – we wanted to give them their three-week rest now…
“[This] week is the third week [of their agreed resting period] but we’ll certainly look at them for the week after that [against Glasgow].”
Despite being early URC wooden spoon contenders after not hitting their target of two wins on tour Dobson says of the Bok-less bad start not putting them under pressure: “We are frustrated with a lot of things that happened up here [on tour] – not all in our control.
“But if we can get some of our fizz back at home we’ll feel okay as regards to the rest of the season, you know.
“There is a little bit of pressure on us, but it does not feel like last year [where we lost four in a row on tour]. Hopefully [nothing] will go wrong in the next two weeks.”