Stormers trio suffer major injuries

Editor

The injury report does not read well for Stormers fans after bad blows for Steven Kitshoff, Jurie van Vuuren and Louis Schreuder.

The injury report does not read well for Stormers fans after bad blows for Steven Kitshoff, Jurie van Vuuren and Louis Schreuder.

Schreuder is out for three months with a fractured thumb, while van Vuuren has been sidelined for eight weeks with a shoulder injury – making him the latest Stormers lock to join the treatment room.

Kitshoff's layoff is unknown at this point but after damaging his MCL the prop is looking at a minimum of eight weeks out.

Jean de Villiers will miss this week's trip to face the Bulls and will be reassessed next week for an AC joint injury. Frans Malherbe and lock Mike Rhodes – both of whom started against the Highlanders – will be given time to prove their fitness ahead of the trip to Pretoria.

Other casualties for the Stormers include Kobus van Wyk, Demetri Catrakilis and Sailosi Tagicakibau who are all out, but there is good news regarding Pat Cilliers and lock Jean Kleyn who will be considered for selection this week.

“We are decimated, but the players coming in have to – and want to – perform,” said head coach Allister Coetzee.

“Players like Alistair Vermaak, Robert du Preez and Huw Jones (from the Vodacom Cup team) will join us this week, but players like Michael van der Spuy (broken nose) and Johnny Kotze are injured and (thus) not considered either.”