Injured Burger sits out training
Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:57
Stormers skipper Schalk Burger missed training on Tuesday with the shoulder injury he sustained against Boland last Saturday.
However, coach Allister Coetzee dismissed fears that it is a long-term setback.
Fellow flank Francois Louw is also recovering from his hip flexor problem, but both he and Burger have been named in the Stormers squad of 22 for their opening Super 14 fixture against the Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Neither of them has been able to play more than a peripheral role in practices this week, but both hope to be able to take full part in training on Wednesday.
Burger missed the Stormers tri-series fixture against the Western Force when he was recovering from a haematoma, then played a planned 40 minutes against the Sharks in the follow-up tri-series game before lasting only 14 minutes against Boland on Saturday.
Whether he will good for 80 minutes against the Lions on Saturday is the big question.
Coetzee was not concerned.
"He looked good this [Tuesday] morning and the news is his shoulder is only bruised," the coach told the gathering media at the team's training session in Bellville.
"There's no torn ligaments and no long term damage.
"I just want to give my captain as long as possible to recover ahead of this weekend. He will be involved in the session tomorrow [Wednesday] again," Coetzee told reporters.
Coetzee named his match squad of 22 on Tuesday and will announce his starting line-up after training on Thursday.
There are no surprises in the squad.
As expected Ricky Januarie, back from Wales, is preferred to Bolla Conradie, and with minimal game time under the belt, Willem de Waal and Dylan des Fountain will have to wait a while before selection for the match squad.
JC Kritzinger has been selected ahead of JD Moller as the reserve prop.
Sireli Naqelevuki is struggling with a minor injury picked up on Saturday and if he is ruled out for the trip to Johannesburg, his place in the 22 is likely to be taken by either Frikkie Welsh or Fabian Juries.
Back-up centre Paul Bosch is out for six to eight weeks after dislocating his elbow against Boland.
Fullback Conrad Jantjes, wing Nick Koster, and lock Adriaan Fondse remain on the injury list but are expected back within a few weeks.
Of the 22 players named, it would come as a surprise if it were not Naqelevuki, Cronje and Januarie among the backs, and Pieter Louw, Van Zyl, Kritzinger and Fourie among the forwards, who were named on Thursday as the replacements.
Stormers squad: Joe Pietersen, Gio Aplon, Bryan Habana, Sireli Naqelevuki, Jaque Fourie, Juan de Jongh, Peter Grant, Lionel Cronje, Dewaldt Duvenage, Ricky Januarie, Duane Vermeulen, Francois Louw, Schalk Burger, Pieter Louw, Andries Bekker, De Kock Steenkamp, Anton van Zyl, Brok Harris, Wicus Blaauw, JC Kritzinger, Tiaan Liebenberg, Deon Fourie.
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