The Stormers’ Super 14 dreams could be shattered if they suffer another front row injury, with their resources stretched to the limit.
Stormers coach Allister Coetzee has confirmed that loosehead prop JC Kritzinger suffered a calf injury in the team’s heart-breaking 13-16 defeat to the Reds in Brisbane at the weekend.
Rugby 365 reports that with Brok Harris and JD Moller as his remaining frontline props and Argentinean Eusebio Guinazu as the only established front row back-up, another injury will present him with a major crisis.
The second-placed Stormers – they head the Crusaders and Reds only on points differential – face the seven-time champion Crusaders this coming Friday, the Sharks the following week and the table-topping Bulls in their last league match.
Coetzee knows his team simply has to win all their remaining matches if they hope to play a semifinal at home, while further defeats could easily see them drop out of the top four altogether.
Stormers captain Schalk Burger described the loss to the Reds as one that “got away.”
“It was one of those game where we couldn’t really get anything going,” Burger said.
“They’ve been a dangerous side this year, but the conditions were pretty slippery, and we couldn’t get the ball through the hands very easily.”
The Stormers finished an Australasian road trip with two wins and two losses – their victories both in New Zealand and their defeats in Australia.
“We’re reasonably happy, but three wins would have been nice,” Burger said.
“We’re looking forward to getting back to Cape Town. We should have a full house there next week.”
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Here we go again!!! 🙄
We should have signed a decent prop or two when we signed Habs and Fourie.
Does anyone know if Pat Barnard has represented England yet?? He was a seriously good prospect!! 😕
@wpw (Comment 1) : Think he represented the saxons like Barritt, so its not a Bok prospect. Also haven’t heard much about him lately, think he’s been injured alot.
Don’t get what the crisis is, we were in this situation 2 weeks ago when we clobbered the Chiefs.
Anyone know what we have going on in the VC? No props there?
@molly (Comment 2) :
It does make sense for the next best to take the step up from WP VC side but the fact that they can’t even make the VC semis speaks volumes.
@wpw (Comment 3) : Did you read Paarwater this morn?
“The only reason the Bulls won is because their penalties were closer to the posts”
Nevermind that 17 points isn’t divisible by 3, he was complaining that the field was a joke, but what an idiot.
We’ve never been big on props, are there no props to steal from Boland maybe?
@molly (Comment 4) :
I was watching the Stormers game at the Spur (OR Tambo) and the WP team was there as well!!
Paarwater is out of his depth. I have it on good authority that the reason he still has a job at WP is because of his close ties with someone on the WP Board.
He is clearly not good enough as a Head coach!! 😕
@wpw (Comment 5) : why dont you give them a call, you’re a prop arent you 😉
@molly (Comment 4) :
After the WP vs Sharks 15 game I commented how the Stormers must hope that their front row can remain injury free because if they had to rely on their Vodacom props they would be in dire straits. They were decimated by the Sharks 15 pack to such an extexnt that they ended the game with uncontested scrums. The Sharks 15 are a good pack but have themselves been given a hard time by the Pampas team as well as Griquas.
@wpw (Comment 5) : Good authority dude, it’s common knowledge.
@wpw (Comment 5) : We definately had the players to perform this year, not as many unknowns as previous years, so its disappointing to say the least.
@Salmonoid (Comment 7) : Oh ja, I remember WP started off well, even calling for a few scrums at penalty time, and then suddenly the Sharks found their feet and we were nailed… embarrassingly so.
@JarsonX (Comment 6) :
Hey!! 👿
Watch it papa!! 🙄
@provincejoulekkading (Comment 8) :
😕 😳
Morning South Africa 😆
So the Stormers have 1 of their 4 Props injured.
Wouldn’t that mean most sides have an injury crisis in the Front Row.
@Hertford Highlander (Comment 13) :
Hey there!!
One would swear your team won this weekend… but alas!! 😈
I was confident you LMS run had come to an end …but alas !
We will smash the Tahs instead….just helping out fellow Kiwi play off hopefuls 😎
@Hertford Highlander (Comment 14) :
Our first choice loosehead (Wicus Blaauw) has been injured for some time.
Our second choice loosehead (JC Kritzinger) has also been injured for a few games.
Hardly 1 out of 4 is it?? 😉
@Hertford Highlander (Comment 13) : more more 😀
@rekinek (Comment 18) : 😆 @wpw (Comment 17) : So is it 2 out of 5 🙄
@Hertford Highlander (Comment 16) :
Am I correct in noticing that you are STILL predicting the Blues will make the semis?? 😯
Due, lay off the crackpipe will you!! 😈 😉
@rekinek (Comment 18) : 😆
@Hertford Highlander (Comment 19) :
Yep, and after those 5 props we have nothing coming through the system!! 🙄
@Hertford Highlander (Comment 21) :
Time to make my LMS pick for the week!! 😎 ❓
@wpw (Comment 22) : You get 50 000 people or what ever through the gates every Saturday
……….and you have nothing coming through the system
…..give me a break 🙄
@wpw (Comment 23) : It’s so easy…..mine done 😎
@Hertford Highlander (Comment 21) :
And then there were NINE!!
So I noticed you also went with the Force!! 😕 🙄
@Hertford Highlander (Comment 24) :
No props coming through the system. Well, none that are quality!
@wpw (Comment 26) : If i had every option available i would still go Force…. 😉
I feel as a show of solidarity with our fellow coastal franschise it would benefit us both if we ” Lend ” Beast to the Stormers for the rest of the Super 14, just to help them out.
Lets face it guys, Snorre is unhappy with the Sharks already for sorting out our front row troubles ( moving John to loosehead thereby accommodating Jannie and relegating Beast to the Bench, refer sunday`s papers ). Maybe we can mend some fences this way. Our only other option would be to sacrifice our scrum again by moving John back to tighthead so we can start Beast.
Obviously Beast isn`t the weakest link in this equation . . John is, but we need his captaincy and for some obscure reason Bismarks` place seem to be set in stone . . .
Beast is in danger of losing his Bok starting position to Shrek er Guthro already . . . by keeping him on the Bench we`re not doing him any favours. But I`m sure Snorre spoke to Plum about this already. . .
@wpw (Comment 27) : It’s just embarrassing that you have that lost Argie in your squad anyway 🙂
@Original Pierre (Comment 29) : 😆
@Hertford Highlander (Comment 25) : @wpw (Comment 26) : go LIONS 😈
😉
@rekinek (Comment 32) : …as if 💡
@Original Pierre (Comment 29) :
I think we should try to sign Heinke VD Merwe (even though I did say he is overrated on Voldy)
We might just be able to resurrect his career!! 😎
@wpw (Comment 34) : …or another Argie or two 💡
@Hertford Highlander (Comment 35) :
The Argie is actually not one of our players!! 🙄
He signed for Boland last year and we’re only using him cos Boland fall under our region!!
@wpw (Comment 34) : Signing Heinke shouldn`t be a problem. Get him some nice digs near Clifton and book his plane ticket. All roads leads to the Magical MotherCity!
That way he can start for you guys this weekend already . .. you can sort out the contract details later in court! 😉
@wpw (Comment 36) : Is that like saying the Southland players aren’t ours…..aren’t you getting you competitions mixed up.
WP aren’t the Stormers….are they ❓ 😕
@Original Pierre (Comment 29) : perhaps him and Plum came to arrangement – Snor let him play John at 1 provided that his tiger can play flyhalf for at least 20min
@rekinek (Comment 39) :
@Hertford Highlander (Comment 38) :
What I meant is that he was not signed by us but by Boland!! 😕
@wpw (Comment 41) : I know Wes….just giving you a hard time…..i am going to be nice to you for the rest of the week….in fact competition…..it may be a bumby road ! 😎
@rekinek (Comment 39) : His tiger?? Sry I`m a slow starter this morning . . .
@Hertford Highlander (Comment 42) :
I know dude, i know!!
If we can’t beat the Saders at home then I fear we might not make the semis!! 😥
@Original Pierre (Comment 43) :
Tiger = Ruan Pienaar 😕
@wpw (Comment 44) : Keep the faith….my guess is the Saders are tougher than the other two……so two out of three wins and a bonus point will be 43 points which should be enough.
@wpw (Comment 44) : We’ll beat them. And the Sharks. And the Bulls. And two weeks later we’ll beat the Bulls again in the final.
@McLovin (Comment 47) : 🙄
Must dash….Dentist calling ! 👿
@Hertford Highlander (Comment 48) : Hope I haven’t brought them bad luck. Bold predictions like that are frowned upon by the rugby gods. 😈
@wpw (Comment 45) : where is Eddie Andrews when you guys need him hey? lucky for us, weve got a utility forward in John Smit, you guys should get one too 😈
@VanWilder (Comment 51) :
Who is Eddie Andrews?? 🙄 😈
We have Brok Harris!! 😎
@VanWilder (Comment 51) : they have one… he’s called Schalk Ferreira and he’s almost as good as Smit… almost 🙂
@wpw (Comment 52) : eddie andrews was part legend, part fiction. 😆
somehow, with a name like ‘Brok’ his mother should have had an idea that her son would play prop someday… 😯
@robdylan (Comment 53) : then we should buy him… 😈 😕
@Hertford Highlander (Comment 49) : its all the sh*t you`re talking… 😆
@robdylan (Comment 53) : now that you are here, did you watch the Sharks VC game?? i quite liked the centre on the bench, arno van zyl? u got detail on him?
@Original Pierre (Comment 43) : your favourite 😆