The Stormers have confirmed that lock and captain Salmaan Moerat will be sidelined for a few weeks as they get ready to host Scarlets in the United Rugby Championship (URC) in Stellenbosch on Saturday.
Moerat, 25, suffered a pectoral (chest) muscle injury in the Stormers’ season-opening 35-33 win over the Lions at the weekend and assistant coach Rito Hlungwani on Monday revealed that it’s a lelike one.
The Springbok lock just returned from a knee injury suffered in December last year, but will now spend more time on the sideline.
Come and warm up for the World Cup Final with us in Stellies!
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🍻 500 free beers
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Hlungwani explains: “It unfortunately looks like a pretty serious injury, we won’t see him in the next couple of games. It’s not a good injury.”
Brok Harris, Neethling Fouche and Herschel Jantjies led the team in Moerat’s absence in the pre-season friendlies and one of them could be called on to run out in front at the Danie Craven Stadium on Saturday.
While Moerat is an injury blow to the Stormers, there was some good news from the camp on Monday with flyhalves Jean-luc du Plessis and Jurie Matthee both returning to training after missing the win over the Lions.
🏅 Your @Vodacom Man of the Match is @sachgome10. Plenty more to come from this guy. #iamastormer #dhldelivers pic.twitter.com/vDvgm6rGIk
In their absence, Clayton Blommetjies wore the No.10 jumper, with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu moving to inside centre where he won the Man of the Match award.
dudley.carstens@inl.co.za