The DHL Stormers are set to receive a significant boost for their United Rugby Championship (URC) clash against the Emirates Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday at 14:30 (SA Time)
According to Stormers attack coach, Dawie Snyman, several key players are returning from injury or are back in training, though the team must balance these gains against mandatory Springbok resting protocols.
Hacjivah Dayimani is expected to slot straight into the match-day squad, according to Snyman.
The following players have returned to training and are available for selection:
Deon Fourie is back after a lengthy injury layoff (bicep tear) that he suffered against the Scarlets and is expected to provide critical leadership and breakdown presence.
Attack coach Dawie Snyman said: “Deon Fourie is back, and he’s been going nicely. He’s obviously worked hard since returning from injury. The thing about Deon [Fourie] is that he’s quite tough mentally. He can go to dark places and push himself, and he’s got ample experience. He knows the shortcuts. Sometimes he’ll put his head into too many breakdowns. We’ll assess where he’s at and how we can use him.”
Snyman also gave updates on season captain Ruhan Nel, Seabelo Sentala, Dan and Jean Luc du Plessis, as well as Keke Morabe and Bok Cobus Reinach.
“Ruhan and Seabelo started training with us. In terms of their availability, we’ll probably make that call later.
“Dan is back training with us. He had a full week last week, so it’s good to have him back. Jean Luc is also back. He missed the back end of last week, but is in for full training”
“Keke has been in and out of training but won’t be available for selection, while Cobus should be back for our Investec Champions Cup Round of 16 match against Toulon. “
Due to national resting protocols, the Stormers are likely to be without Damian Willemse and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu for this derby.