CAPE TOWN – Stormers coach John Dobson says his side has suffered another significant injury setback with lock JD Schickerling ruled out with a knee injury for up to six months.
The injury compounds a difficult season for the Stormers’ lock stocks, with Adré Smith and Schickerling forced to shoulder heavier playing loads than Dobson had planned due to injuries to other squad members.
The Stormers welcomed back Ruben van Heerden last week, and Dobson revealed that captain Salmaan Moerat would soon return from injury, but losing Schickerling remains a major blow for the Cape Town-based side.
“At the start of the season, I used to boast about our lock roster. I thought it was one of the best,” Dobson told reporters on Friday.
“Now it’s obviously a lot thinner. Losing JD, who is a big guy for us, is massive. A lot of our success in the early parts [of the season] was based on the lock roster where you could start with Salmaan and Ruben, and then bring on JD and Adré after 45 minutes.”
Development positive
The Stormers have lock option Connor Evans available, but Dobson said he would benefit from playing for the Stormers XXIII this weekend before being called up to the senior squad.
“We could have gone with Connor, but our plan is to give Connor one under-23 game so he’s fully fit, because with JD out for the season, he’s going to be very important come that Ulster game,” Dobson said.
“So rather than give him 15 or 20 minutes off the bench this week, we want to give him one full game for the under-23s. We have to really develop Connor quickly now. Thank goodness Ruben came back this week, and Salmaan will be back at least for the quarter-final, possibly for Cardiff.”
The DHL Stormers go head-to-head with the Glasgow Warriors in another epic Vodacom URC clash at 13:45 at the DHL Stadium on Saturday. The DHL Stormers XXIII will also take on the Sharks in a friendly match at 16:00.
SOURCE: KickOff
