The Stormers will have some of their Boks back, while others will be rested, for their Champions Cup match against Bayonne.
The Stormers have received a slight Springbok boost ahead of their Champions Cup opener against Aviron Bayonnais in Bayonne on Friday night, but they will still be without their three superstars for the encounter.
Assistant coach Norman Laker revealed that powerful utility forward Ben-Jason Dixon, rising front row talent Zachary Porthen, and new recruit Ntuthuko Mchunu had linked up with the team after completing their Bok duty over the past weekend.
However, their best players, flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, fullback Damian Willemse and scrumhalf Cobus Reinach have headed back to SA for a deserved break after a busy season with the national team.
Laker said that he was unsure how the three would fit into the match 23 for the game, with Dixon and Porthen both having had some game time for the Boks, while Mchunu didn’t play at all and has yet to make his Stormers debut, after arriving from the Sharks in the off season, and missing the first month due to injury.
“We took the issue of which Boks would play for us in this game on a case by case basis, meaning we looked at the individual workload on the Bok tour,” explained Laker.
“Someone like Sacha played most of the games on tour, and there were also big workloads for Damian and Cobus. They were on tour for five weeks so it made sense to send them home to get some rest so they can be ready for the tough part of the season that lies ahead for us.
“I cannot say which of the players who have joined us will start on Saturday, but they have joined us and are all in the selection mix.”
Week off
Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Willemse and Reinach will likely only get this week off, before meeting up with the Stormers in Gqeberha ahead of their “home” match against La Rochelle, followed by a United Rugby Championship match against the Lions back in Cape Town a week later.
They will probably only get a proper rest in February, with them still needing to adhere to Springbok resting protocols, when a number of local derbies take centre stage during the Six Nations competition.
A familiar face that the Stormers will be fronting up against on Friday is former star player Herschel Jantjies, who made the move to the French team in the off season, and will now face his former side for the first time.
“After playing with him all the players know what a threat Herschelle can be. We have seen he has played a role in some of the most recent Bayonne victories, including their Top 14 win over Lyon at the weekend. We know he is a player we will have to watch carefully,” said Laker.
