Stormers coach Robbie Fleck has a selection headache over loosehead prop Steven Kitshoff‚ who has returned to Cape Town after a two-year stint with Bordeaux in France.
Kitshoff‚ 25‚ who shone for the Springboks during the three-Test series against France‚ which SA won 3-0‚ is not eligible for the Super Rugby play-offs because he has only recently joined the franchise.
The Stormers still have three regular season matches to complete‚ and they have already qualified for the quarterfinals.
Kitshoff though is unlikely to feature in the post-season.
“Steven Kitshoff is available for the next few weeks‚ but we have to look at whether he is eligible for the play-offs or not‚” Fleck said
“The regulation is that if there are a big number of injuries in a certain position you can motivate for a certain player to be chosen from outside the group.
“We have to weigh it up whether it’s worth playing him over the next three games. You ideally want to be playing the team that will feature in the play-offs‚ but our focus is also about getting back on track and on beating the Cheetahs this weekend. We’ll choose the best team for that game and if that includes Kitshoff‚ then we will pick him.”
Fleck confirmed that prop Ollie Kebble would be fit for the Sunwolves game in a fortnight while JC Janse van Rensburg is also fit.
As it stands now‚ Kitshoff‚ who was not named in the original Stormers squad at the beginning of the campaign and hence ineligible for the post-season‚ would not be able to feature in the play-offs. But a few injuries could see that situation change.
The Stormers‚ despite having secured a home quarterfinal because of an unassailable lead at the top of the Africa 1 conference‚ still have the Cheetahs‚ Sunwolves and Bulls to play in the regular season.
Kitshoff is likely to play in those matches but the Stormers are still struggling with centres.
Dan du Plessis dislocated his shoulder playing for Western Province in the Supersport challenge at the weekend‚ while Damian de Allende and Huw Jones are both unavailable for this week’s clash in Bloemfontein.
Scrumhalf Dewaldt Duvenage also returned from SA A duty with a ‘niggle’‚ and is in doubt but utility back Dan Kriel is fit.
“We had a good four weeks with the players that weren’t involved with the Boks‚ SA A and SA under-20‚” Fleck said.
“There were only about 12 Stormers players here‚ but we mixed with players from the Western Province team and got through some good sessions.
“We trained hard while the others were on international duty. We were disappointed with the Sharks loss before the break but it’s now about pushing the reset button for the next phase of the campaign.
“Our first priority is getting the guys back on the same page and take some of the positivity from the guys returning from the international stage.” - TimesLIVE
Kitshoff conundrum for Stormers
Stormers coach Robbie Fleck has a selection headache over loosehead prop Steven Kitshoff‚ who has returned to Cape Town after a two-year stint with Bordeaux in France.
Kitshoff‚ 25‚ who shone for the Springboks during the three-Test series against France‚ which SA won 3-0‚ is not eligible for the Super Rugby play-offs because he has only recently joined the franchise.
The Stormers still have three regular season matches to complete‚ and they have already qualified for the quarterfinals.
Kitshoff though is unlikely to feature in the post-season.
“Steven Kitshoff is available for the next few weeks‚ but we have to look at whether he is eligible for the play-offs or not‚” Fleck said
“The regulation is that if there are a big number of injuries in a certain position you can motivate for a certain player to be chosen from outside the group.
“We have to weigh it up whether it’s worth playing him over the next three games. You ideally want to be playing the team that will feature in the play-offs‚ but our focus is also about getting back on track and on beating the Cheetahs this weekend. We’ll choose the best team for that game and if that includes Kitshoff‚ then we will pick him.”
Fleck confirmed that prop Ollie Kebble would be fit for the Sunwolves game in a fortnight while JC Janse van Rensburg is also fit.
As it stands now‚ Kitshoff‚ who was not named in the original Stormers squad at the beginning of the campaign and hence ineligible for the post-season‚ would not be able to feature in the play-offs. But a few injuries could see that situation change.
The Stormers‚ despite having secured a home quarterfinal because of an unassailable lead at the top of the Africa 1 conference‚ still have the Cheetahs‚ Sunwolves and Bulls to play in the regular season.
Kitshoff is likely to play in those matches but the Stormers are still struggling with centres.
Dan du Plessis dislocated his shoulder playing for Western Province in the Supersport challenge at the weekend‚ while Damian de Allende and Huw Jones are both unavailable for this week’s clash in Bloemfontein.
Scrumhalf Dewaldt Duvenage also returned from SA A duty with a ‘niggle’‚ and is in doubt but utility back Dan Kriel is fit.
“We had a good four weeks with the players that weren’t involved with the Boks‚ SA A and SA under-20‚” Fleck said.
“There were only about 12 Stormers players here‚ but we mixed with players from the Western Province team and got through some good sessions.
“We trained hard while the others were on international duty. We were disappointed with the Sharks loss before the break but it’s now about pushing the reset button for the next phase of the campaign.
“Our first priority is getting the guys back on the same page and take some of the positivity from the guys returning from the international stage.” - TimesLIVE
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