The Stormers are sweating over the fitness and availability of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu yet again.
He picked up a hip injury in the 29-10 victory over the Lions this past weekend and had to be withdrawn in the first half after brief glimpses of brilliant attacking play next to flyhalf Manie Libbok.
Second time Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is down
— Leighton Koopman (@Leighton_K) December 21, 2024
He needs to get off, can't risk him #URC #STOvLIO pic.twitter.com/41htqJzIlU
Now there is doubt about his readiness to face the Sharks in the return coastal derby - another crucial United Rugby Championship (URC) match for the Cape outfit.
If he is unavailable, the Stormers must make a different plan at inside centre because his replacement, Jean-Luc du Plessis, was also injured at the weekend and is unlikely to play. Wing Leolin Zas limped off the field too and the Stormers had to play with a scrumhalf in his position.
Director of Rugby John Dobson was naturally chuffed about the five points earned by his side, which will revive their URC fortunes, but the injury to Feinberg-Mngomezulu was disruptive to their plans.
“He looked so good in the time he was on the field.”
“He looked so good in the time he was on the field,” Dobson said about the youngster's game against the Lions.
“It really impacted our gameplan and how we wanted to play when he went off. If he is unavailable this week, we will have to think about the combination there. We are thin at 12 at the moment.”
There is an option to shift everyone one position in from the outside which means Ruhan Nel could play inside centre with wing Suleiman Hartzenberg taking over the 13 position. The other option is to bring in fresh blood like Jonathan Roche who showed some good touches in the 12 jersey against Harlequins in the Champions Cup.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is forced off with injury 🤕![CDATA[]]>🤕
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) December 21, 2024
📺 Stream #VURC on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/E9nRreutnw
Dobson meanwhile praised the tenacious defence of his side when they were under the pump in the second half as the Lions tried fighting back with only 14 players. There was a time when they were reduced to 13 when replacement Mannie Rass deliberately knocked a ball down, but the Stormers could only score one try against them.
“We have to give the Lions credit because with 14 men they were knocking down the door. But there was a defensive set in the second half where we gave about six lineouts away in our danger zone and defended that well. The referee gave us a warning and it could've been another penalty and a yellow card or they could've scored to make it 22-17.
“That last little bit of the game felt like the Stormers of old to me.”
“That last little bit of the game felt like the Stormers of old to me. Tenacious defence and we finished with a little flair and pomp scoring that last try.”
He feels they should've buried the game in the 49th minute already when they scored their bonus point try when the Lions were down to 13. But, a couple of poor decisions on the attack when there was space on the outside, prevented them from doing so.
These are some of the little errors the Stormers will have to fix before facing the Springbok-laden Sharks at the DHL Stadium.
It's a third win of the #VURC season for the DHL Stormers as they maintain their impressive record at home in local derbies 🌩️🏉 pic.twitter.com/4cw1tAOce0
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) December 21, 2024
The two maul tries of hooker Joseph Dweba showed that this facet of their game is getting back to where they want it to be. A third Dweba score was cancelled out due to obstruction as he dived over the line. The backline tries by Zas and the one prop Neethling Fouche finished off under the posts, shows the Stormers are getting their flair back as well.
“The job is only half done,” Dobson said after collecting maximum points against the Lions.
“If we can get another five this weekend, we are firmly back in the mix.”