Schalk sidelined
21 Jan 2010
Andries Bekker will lead the Stormers this weekend as Schalk Burger is recovering from a haematoma.
The Stormers captain is not being risked for this the first match of the triangular series which also doubles as the Stormers’ first warm-up ahead of the Super 14. Pieter Myburgh will start at openside in his place, while former EP loose forward Jacques Potgieter is elevated to the bench.
‘Schalk is very disappointed to miss this clash, but we have a policy that if the player can’t train before the game, then it’s foolish to risk him,’ coach Allister Coetzee told keo.co.za. ‘There’s still enough games before the Super 14 for him to play and prepare, but it just wasn’t worth it to risk him this week.
‘Schalk suffered a lammie [haematoma] last week when he took a knock to the leg, and because he has such a high pain threshold, he just trained through it. This Tuesday, it became apparent that he was having some trouble, so we didn’t want to push him to play. If he becomes fatigued the muscle could tear.’
Coetzee feels Myburgh, a specialist fetcher who has filled in at No 6 for the Stormers before, won’t let the team down. Myburgh will be lining up against Wallabies openside, David Pocock.
‘You need to have depth to do well in this competition and this is good opportunity for Pieter Myburgh.’
A WP Invitational XV will play Stellenbosch this Saturday as a curtain raiser to the Force match.
Stormers - 15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Juan de Jongh, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Francois Louw, 6, Pieter Myburgh, 5 Andries Bekker (c), 4 De Kock Steenkamp, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Wicus Blaauw.
Subs: Deon Fourie, JC Kritzinger, JD Moller, Anton van Zyl, Jacques Potgieter, Pieter Louw, Bolla Conradie, Lionel Cronje, Sireli Naqelevuki, JJ Engelbrecht.
WP Invitational XV (to play Maties) – 15 Jurgen Visser, 14 Fabien Juries, 13 Frikkie Welsh (c), 12 Paul Bosch, 11 JJ Engelbrecht, 10 Conrad Hoffmann, 9 Bolla Conradie, 8 Yaya Hartzenburg, 7 Pieter Louw, 6 Boetie Britz, 5 Martin Muller, 4 Ryno Elstadt, 3 Esuiebo Guianaza, 2 Callie Visagie, 1 JD Moller.
Subs : Sydney Tobias, Hein van der Merwe, Stephan Greef, Dustin Jinka, Hilton Lobberts, Liam Slatem, Jody Burch, Stokkies Hanekom, Tim Whitehead, Denzil Riddles.
By Jon Cardinelli
67 Comments
21 Jan 2010, 12:20 pm
Down and out Dragon. Glad to see that Naqelevuki is where he belongs, on the bench.
21 Jan 2010, 12:20 pm
injury prone “aura” dragon
21 Jan 2010, 12:24 pm
@Pearl Rose:
Too late. Injury prone “aura” dragon is right though. I think this season will be an important one for Schalk and he will establish one of two things:
(1) He still has “it” and last year was just a blip in his career (the “form is temporary, class is permanent” brigade will lap this one up); or
(2) He is a player in decline and he will have to start looking over his shoulder nervously at the new breed of loosies in the country.
21 Jan 2010, 12:25 pm
@Cyborg: Yah…but it still gives Naquelikaka plenty of time to practice his strong arm tactics in the last 20 and piss the game away
21 Jan 2010, 12:28 pm
Haematoma?
21 Jan 2010, 12:29 pm
@Cyborg: Flo should play 6…Schalk would be a betta Cappie at 8 making play from the base of the scrum…Duane at 7…don’t rate PM
21 Jan 2010, 12:40 pm
@Storm outta hell:
schalk doesn’t have the ball skills for an 8… he needs to play 7…
21 Jan 2010, 12:41 pm
@Dawn: A moerse bump/bruise.
21 Jan 2010, 12:47 pm
I wonder if the Stormers Management, before purchasing Habana and Fourie, considered the fact that they would be expected to rest the Boks they have this season?
21 Jan 2010, 12:47 pm
@gunther: Yep…suits me fine…we gonna need a genuine fetcher like Flo to compete on the ground…sure gonna miss the skills of Watson Province..!!
21 Jan 2010, 12:48 pm
@Yetirat: They gonna see so little ball they’ll be well rested
21 Jan 2010, 12:49 pm
@Cyborg:
Dude, he belongs in Fiji.
He is USELESS!!!
21 Jan 2010, 12:50 pm
@Dawn:
Fireman’s?
21 Jan 2010, 12:50 pm
I’d like to see Fourie play at 12, like Umaga late in his career, and De Jongh at 13.
21 Jan 2010, 12:52 pm
Lobberts can’t even make the “B” side …. there goes one of PDV favourite son’s …
21 Jan 2010, 12:52 pm
‘I’d like to see Fourie play at 12, like Umaga late in his career, and De Jongh at 13.’ – as an experiment I should add
21 Jan 2010, 12:53 pm
@WP Till I Die:
What about it?
21 Jan 2010, 12:54 pm
@Dawn:
Is it still on tonight?
21 Jan 2010, 12:55 pm
A few things:
1) Zulukid – Has PdV ever picked Lobberts? Wasn’t that Jake White?
2) Some of the WP Invitational XV are on the bench for the Stormers – I imagine that the whole bench for WP will be used in the second half.
21 Jan 2010, 12:56 pm
@Storm outta hell:
;o)
Seriously though. I bet when they were considering salaries and price tags they didn’t foresee a scenario where they would be told not to use those players for the bulk of the Currie Cup….makes you wonder though, as from what I hear Coetzee is the least keen to go with the PDV rest demands.
21 Jan 2010, 12:59 pm
@WP Till I Die:
As far as I know, yes.
21 Jan 2010, 13:00 pm
@WP Till I Die:
Yes…catch u there at 6pm. Must fly now.
Later…
21 Jan 2010, 13:00 pm
@Yetirat: Yep…I reckon AC and Rassie are the coaches under the most pressure to produce results this year…or they can kiss their respective jobs goodbye….Robbie Deans to get dumped by the Asstralians and take up the Stormers post 2011
21 Jan 2010, 13:01 pm
mmmmm’ with Aplon and Pietersen as tow of the the back three we look a little bit light in the last line of defense
21 Jan 2010, 13:01 pm
@Dawn:
Later…
21 Jan 2010, 13:04 pm
@fuzzy: agreed…aplon should stick to sevens…would like to see as much as possible of JJ..
21 Jan 2010, 13:05 pm
I am very pleased to see Gio Aplon starting in the number 14 jersey.
I was worried he was going to be overlooked with Habana and Juries moving down to the Cape.
Aplon played well all year last year and has impressed many both in the sevens and the fifteen-man game recently.
If he carries his good form into this year I believe he should be considered at wing ahead of a player like Nick Koster (who has been out injured for ages and is still very new to the position).
I was alarmed to see that the Stormers had bought Fabian Juries. I like the player but his game is so similar to Aplon’s and I’ve been worried that Aplon may have to look for a place in Paul Treu’s squad again because of Juries’ acquisition.
I hope not.
21 Jan 2010, 13:06 pm
@puff:
Gio Aplon is one of the bravest rugby players out there, he has a giant heart.
21 Jan 2010, 13:08 pm
Also can anyone tell me what happened to Schalk Ferreira?
I don’t rate him at all as a prop.
But there was talk of converting him to hooker.
It looks like the Stormers’ four frontline props will be Blaauw, Harris, Moller and Kritzinger with the Argentinian playing for Boland as back-up.
At hooker there’s Liebenberg, Fourie and young Visagie, with Shimange heading to the Lions for some game time.
So where is Ferreira? Is he still in the Cape?
Just curious…
21 Jan 2010, 13:10 pm
@WP Till I Die:
His defending is awesome for a guy his size.
Plus he is an exceptional game breaker with awesome pace and he also has an adequate kicking game.
He also makes less mistakes than the bruiser Naqelevuki.
He derserves to be in the Stormers squad and will be a valuable player to call on in the right situation.
21 Jan 2010, 13:13 pm
@puff:
Agreed, I’ve always rated him. I might be biased, though, since I was in res with him.
21 Jan 2010, 13:14 pm
@WP Till I Die:
100% true.
He is not ‘bang gat’ like Breytie or Russell.
21 Jan 2010, 13:20 pm
bad luck Schalk… but still looks a not too shabby side…!
@fuzzy:
did you watch the CC semi vs the Bulls…?? These two guys are very solid on defence… they were hitting guys back in the tackle who were much bigger than them…
Gio’s from Hawston… They don’t come tougher…!!
21 Jan 2010, 13:22 pm
@puff:
yeah Puff… I like Juries… but Gio is a berry and has been in super form…
they did the right thing going with him and joe… they are the encumbants and deserve to pick up where they left off last season…
21 Jan 2010, 13:28 pm
@wpw:
I think Breyton’s been given a raw deal in some circles.
I watched him make some unbelievable tackles over the years that belied his size.
Plus he always had a useful left boot.
And in his prime he was a formidable attacking force.
He’s scored twenty-six tries for the Boks (fourth highest) and he’s been capped 64 times (ninth highest).
There were very few times he let the Boks down.
In fact, more often than not, he helped the Boks to win.
An underappreciated player.
21 Jan 2010, 13:36 pm
@puff:
I agree with you to a certain extent. I remember the tackle he made on Nathan Grey as well as one NB tackle in the Tri nations in 2004.
He was however (at times) not aggressive enough when making tackles.
Gio on the other hand is just fearless. I saw him at Tyger Valley over the festive season and noticed that he is not THAT small hey!!!
21 Jan 2010, 13:41 pm
@puff: Sireli Nincompoopie a bruiser ? Now, thats funny.
The guy is like a giant jelly baby with cream filling. He is the Afrikaans ‘Slap riem’, or ‘Slap gat’ – a giant, uncoordinated oaf.
Aplon has more of a physical approach than baby face Sireli. And, I know of at least one semi-final WP would have played if it werent for Sireli ‘butter fingers’ Nincompoopie.
21 Jan 2010, 13:42 pm
@wpw:
Not even 80 kgs – tiny for a rugby player, even a scrumhalf these days.
But that said I have much respect for Aplon and I’m excited to watch him play.
Again I must say he deverves his spot in the Stormers squad based on performance.
21 Jan 2010, 13:43 pm
@Dusky:
hee
giant jelly baby
21 Jan 2010, 13:52 pm
@puff: Not sure when we are going to learn, these pacific islanders are big, hard guys. But, without a decent control unit (ie. brain), it’s completely pointless.
Epi Taione (sp ?) – Thanks for headbutting, because if you had played more games for the Sharks, you might have screwed up even worse.
How Plumtree thought it was a good idea to play the stupid wop in the semi-final against the Waratahs, goodness only knows.
21 Jan 2010, 13:58 pm
@Dusky:
I don’t think it was Plumtree – wasn’t it Muir?
Yes I reckon the Sharks need to relax with the overseas spending now.
It might be part of the Sharks “culture” to bring in these international players but it isn’t translating into bearing fruit for the franchise.
Taione was a laiability. Hernandez is crocked.
Michalak did okay but at the expense of giving a local 10 more game time.
That said the Sharks have done well to recruit the likes of Mostert, Alberts and Ludik.
Let’s see if they can hold onto them though!
21 Jan 2010, 14:02 pm
No – it was the 2008 semi-final vs. Waratahs in Sydney. If I remember correctly.
Taione gave away penalties all over the place, and couldn’t catch a ball even if it were painted with superglue.
21 Jan 2010, 14:08 pm
That is one hell of a back line on atack if they get some quick ball or front foot ball…eish I think the Force is going to pay, Aplon should have toured with the Boks last year I think.
21 Jan 2010, 14:12 pm
@JA-JA: If you limit Ricky to say 5 double cheese burgers, 5 large fries and 3 chocolate milkshakes before each game, you might get some quick ball.
21 Jan 2010, 14:13 pm
@JA-JA:
I’d have Aplon in my team ahead of the Ndungane twins anyday.
Had he been at least 10-15 kg’s heavier he would have been a Bok imho.
21 Jan 2010, 14:14 pm
@Dusky:
Worry about your own team why don’t you??
Do you support the Sharks??
21 Jan 2010, 14:17 pm
@wpw: No, I am a Stormers supporter.
21 Jan 2010, 14:19 pm
@wpw: Have you seen Ricky ‘Os’ Januarie lately ? Looks like he is carrying ‘a bit extra’ there – you know ?
Perhaps he and Wikus Blaauw can trade some ideas on how to get rid of their triple chins ?
21 Jan 2010, 14:20 pm
@wpw: the Ndungane twins are a marketing gimmick, I would never have them in any team even Border and EP.
Shut up Transie
!!
Did you see how pumped up the Kop was last night, Banitez had asked the Anfield faithful to roar behind the team and they responded
21 Jan 2010, 14:21 pm
@Dusky:LOL One day he’s going to slip up in a game and pass Bash the cheese burger he hid in his shorts.
@wpw: Hey I’m a Bulls man, but I would also have Aplon in ahead of Akona, I think they should use him in the Bok team on the bench and get him to run in the last 20 – 15 min, he look about the same size as Shane Williams and he’s awesome.
21 Jan 2010, 14:22 pm
ARSENAL !!!!!!!!!!!!!
21 Jan 2010, 14:25 pm
CHELSEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
21 Jan 2010, 14:35 pm
GIO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
21 Jan 2010, 14:39 pm
Howzit people!!
OK look, it has become a stigma in our country to specify players according to their weight, height and Speed.
Aplon is one of those and Russel, Paulse, Pietersen etc too.
You will never hear any Aussie say Matt Giteau to be too small??!!
I like Aplon. He has a great sense for the game, has plenty speed and there is nothing wrong with his defensive game. He was solid last year, after going off the boil a little during 2008. I remeber him running around Habs in a training game at loftus between us and the bulls in 2007. He is quick and has a good step to be one of those players that seldom gets tackled head on. That is why imo he can be small. He also has the ability to score tries from nowhere, and that is what the Stormers need… someone to spark that purple patch in every game….
21 Jan 2010, 14:47 pm
JULIUS!!!
21 Jan 2010, 14:49 pm
@Provvas: 100% agree
21 Jan 2010, 14:49 pm
Stormers to do well this year. Only 5 teams will end above them.
21 Jan 2010, 15:02 pm
No realy , can’t see why the Stormers can’t make it all the way this year. They have the players to do it. These guys been playing together for a couple of seasons and they surely can make it into the finals this year. If not , than there’s something wrong in the cape.
21 Jan 2010, 15:22 pm
@Andre_WP:
I don’t agree with you. We finished 10th last year and I think the best we can possibly hope for is a top 6 finish.
Anything higher would be a bonus.
None of our props have test match experience (compare Brock and Wicus to John, Jannie and Beast and you’ll see what I mean)
We need De Waal to have an exceptional season (which has NEVER happened at S14 level)
And lastly, we might struggle if Grant doesn’t do well at 12 as De Jongh is still a greenhorn at S14 level)
Just my 2 cents though!!! Use it, don’t use it…
21 Jan 2010, 15:23 pm
I like Pieter Myburgh… it’s actually surprising that he hasn’t come through quite as strongly. He did really well against the Saders at Newlands two years ago..really outplayed Richie in his comeback game if I remember correctly.
21 Jan 2010, 15:42 pm
There are some serious names amongst that Invitation team.
Eusebio at tighthead, Yaya at No 8, Boetie on the flank and even ol’ Stokkies on the bench….
21 Jan 2010, 16:57 pm
Good to see Tim Whitehead amongst the reserves. He was the star back (outside centre) of last year under 21′s before he got injured.
I just hope they give Lionel Cronje at least 40 minutes for the A team – P Grant also needs time at 12 in order to get used to play with Fourie on his outside seeing that they are going to be the first choice center combination (at least according to Robbie F)
Should also be interesting to see what Conrad Hoffman can do at 10 against the Maties. Unfortunately he seems to be injury prone – lets hope he lasts the full match.
21 Jan 2010, 18:52 pm
Schalk suffered a lammie [haematoma] last week when he took a knock to the leg, and because he has such a high pain threshold, he just trained through it.
Now there are some who will say that here is a brave man. I say what a bone head thing to do in a practice session. He is bar far the worst captain the WP have selected in the past 10 years.
oh it is true.
22 Jan 2010, 04:24 am
one big reason the stormers will struggle this year. Brok Harris.
22 Jan 2010, 06:12 am
@RedLion:
Been drinking too much of your nicks brew dude? (Do they still make Lion btw?)
22 Jan 2010, 16:37 pm
Where is Nick Koster? vanished?
23 Jan 2010, 04:01 am
@Shark@Heart: I believe Nick is still getting repaired and should be back before the season kickoff. From memory, Rassie was going to play him on the wing until he got big enough to play 8. I hope he has spent his time off in the gym so we can have 6) Schalk 7)Duane and 8)Koster as the loose trio.
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