Stormers announce squad for Boland friendly
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Stormers Rugby Team Training
The Stormers are expected to rest several key players in their final pre-season friendly against Boland on Saturday. There are no serious injuries and this is an opportunity to give a few other players game time as well!
Ricky Januarie, who returned from his sabbatical at Welsh club Ospreys last week, and Willem de Waal are rumoured to form the halfback combination and the pair could well start in the Super 14 opener against the Lions at Coca Cola Park next weekend.
Stormers coach Alistair Coetzee was positive in his praise for January and his contribution made to the Ospreys.
“Ricky is definitely back and he attended his first practice today,” Coetzee told the media. “I am fairly happy with reports and the videos I’ve seen of Ricky playing overseas.
“I am very happy to see that he has been involved in all the games over there. They qualified for the quarterfinals so we’re happy he made a contribution there.
“Ricky has always had the fight, and that is what they needed and I suppose that’s why they opted for a scrumhalf like Ricky. In the Northern Hemisphere, they don’t play an expansive game and they don’t play a nine that just feeds the flyhalf all the time.
“He was quite effective around the rucks and mauls and defensively. From our point of view we’re happy he had all the game time under the belt and he’s match-ready. Obviously, it’s warm-up conditions over here now and I’m looking forward to seeing him play.”
De Waal missed a big part of last season due to a neck injury but Coetzee confirmed the deadly goal-kicker will feature in Saturday’s hit-out at the new Cape Town Stadium. With the large number of penalties in all the warm-up games, the importance of an accurate kicker has once more been emphasized!
“He is back and he’ll be in the mix this weekend. Up until last week he was contact training at 60 percent, but from today he’s 100 percent training. He’s really looking comfortable, now it’s just a matter of playing full contact in a live game and then his confidence levels will go up.
“Everything is geared up for the first clash against the Lions, it will be a helluva game and we want to make sure that everyone has had 120-plus minutes of game time.”
Players to sit out on Saturday include lock Andries Bekker, prop Wicus Blaauw and fullback Joe Pietersen.
“Andries has some stiffness, that’s why he’s not involved, and I’m happy with what I’ve seen from De Kock [Steenkamp], and it’s important to give (Anton) Van Zyl 80 minutes.”
Coetzee will name his starting line-up on Wednesday.
Stormers squad: JD Moller, Eusebio Guinazu, JC Kritzinger (props), Deon Fourie, Callie Visagie (hookers), Martin Muller, Anton van Zyl, Rynhardt Elstadt (locks), Schalk Burger (captain), Pieter Louw, Pieter Myburgh, Yahya Hartzenberg, Conraad Britz, Duane Vermeulen (flanks), Bolla Conradie, Ricky Januarie (scrumhalves), Willem De Waal, Lionel Cronjé (flyhalves), Frikkie Welsh, Paul Bosch, Tim Whitehead, Juan de Jongh, Jaque Fourie (centres), Bryan Habana, Sireli Naqelevuki, Gio Aplon, Fabian Juries, Dylan des Fountain (wings/fullbacks)
[Information appeared on SARugby.com]
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