The DHL Stormers will be without Steven Kitshoff for the start of their Vodacom URC campaign after the Springbok prop suffered a neck ligament injury. DYLAN JACK reports.
John Dobson confirmed the news during a Vodacom URC Media Round Table on Tuesday afternoon, in the latest injury blow to the DHL Stormers squad.
Kitshoff, who returned to the Stormers after a season with Ulster, suffered the injury during the Currie Cup final-round match against Griquas in Kimberley, where DHL Western Province fielded a strong squad to get game time ahead of the URC season.
“He’s done some ligaments quite high up in his neck. In six weeks is the reassessment date,” Dobson said.
“From what I understand, he is out for six weeks at least. Ligaments in the neck are quite a dangerous cocktail. It’s a cocktail that we want to be quite conservative about. It’s one we want to take very cautiously. So it will be six weeks at minimum. We will then be able to say how many weeks after that.”
This means that, at the very least, Kitshoff will miss the Stormers’ season-opening tour, which gets underway against the Ospreys on 28 September. The Stormers will also tackle Zebre and Edinburgh away, before returning for their first home game of the season against Munster on 19 October.
Kitshoff is also unlikely to have recovered in time to prove his fitness for the Springboks’ November tour, when the world champions face Scotland, England and Wales.
In terms of depth at loosehead prop, the Stormers do have Sti Sithole up and running again, while veteran Brok Harris is ready to get his hands dirty in what is expected to be his final campaign.
Dobson said that there is no point in searching the country for more backup, as it’s unlikely that there will be a prop of Kitshoff’s quality available to contract.
“The market’s done for this coming season. You can’t replace Steven Kitshoff, there aren’t many of him just floating around. There’s no point. That’s a different level.
“We’ve got enough depth. Leon Lyons has come in from Griquas, Sti is fit again, and we have a promising youngster in Vernon Matongo.
“You don’t replace Steven Kitshoff at this stage. Everybody is contracted. We had the best scrum differential last season without Kitsie. We also have a promising youngster called Brok Harris who will just have to go again.
“It’s the cards we’ve been dealt. I just hope Steven is nearer to a six-to-eight week absence. There’s no prospect in us finding an uncontracted loosehead who can make a difference. You rather back your youngsters.”
Photo: Darren Stewart/Gallo Images
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
