The Stormers’ flyhalf depth will be set for an early test if Damian Willemse fails to recover from a leg injury in time for Saturday’s crucial clash against the Crusaders, writes CRAIG LEWIS.
The Stormers have come into this Super Rugby season with certain question marks over their depth available in the all-important flyhalf berth following the departure of experienced pivots such as Rob du Preez and Kurt Coleman.
Although Jean-Luc du Plessis remains one of the most highly-regarded youngsters at the Stormers, he is still recovering from a serious hip injury, and is only expected to come into contention when the team returns from tour.
What the Stormers have done is provide young Willemse with their full backing, while journeyman George Whitehead has headed on tour with the team as the only specialist flyhalf back up, with Dillyn Leyds providing additional cover.
So it would have been a major concern for the Stormers when Willemse hobbled from the field early in the second half against the Waratahs last Saturday after suffering a heavy knock to his quad.
The injury has limited Willemse’s mobility at the start of this week, while assistant coach Paul Feeney confirmed on Monday that there was still uncertainty over whether he would recover in time for Saturday’s all-important clash in Christchurch.
‘Damian is our starting flyhalf, but we have confidence in George Whitehead,’ Feeney commented. ‘He did a reasonable job when he came on [against the Waratahs], and he would have learned a lot from that experience.’
The big question for the Stormers will be whether it is worth the risk of sending Willemse back into the heat of action, especially if his training has been limited and he is not quite 100%.
Should Whitehead be handed the No 10 jersey, it would undoubtedly be the greatest challenge of a career that has taken him from the Cheetahs to the Kings, to the Griffons and to Griquas, before joining the Stormers.
The importance of this Saturday’s clash has been particularly heightened for the Stormers as a result of the last-minute loss to the Waratahs, but Feeney insisted that the result had been put behind them after some ‘direct’ messages were exchanged.
‘We’ve had a lot of unit meetings with backs and forwards to address the way that match ended, but our focus is now on the Crusaders. When you see a team scoring 45 points against the Chiefs‚ that gets your attention as a coach because it’s a pretty good start.
‘They looked sharp and scored some good tries, so we’re really going to have be up for it.’
Saturday’s clash at the AMI Stadium kicks off 08:35 (SA time).
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
