Cronje ruled out of Cheetahs clash
15 Mar 2010
Lionel Cronje will not play for the Stormers this Saturday whether his weekend punch-up warrants further suspension or not.
The Stormers’ reserve flyhalf was involved in an incident following the victory over the Hurricanes last Saturday. A Cape Town newspaper reported Cronje was in a fight, arrested and taken to hospital because of the injuries incurred in the scuffle.
Stormers coach Allister Coetzee told keo.co.za Cronje’s lawyers will be dealing with the matter. Once it has been resolved, an internal investigation may be conducted.
‘It happened after the match, so it was on his own personal time,’ Coetzee said. ‘As far as I know, Lionel is alright and I don’t know anything about him having a concussion [from the fight]. He reported to the High Performance Centre on Monday morning and the medical staff have found nothing wrong with him, so I believe he is fine.
‘I said on Saturday after the Hurricanes match that I want Lionel to get more game time and to do that I want him to start in the Vodacom Cup. If he is cleared, he will do so this Saturday. So Lionel was never going to play for the Stormers this week in any case.’
Coetzee’s only injury concern is centre Juan de Jongh who will be further assessed by the Stormers’ medical team before a final call on his availability is made on Tuesday. De Jongh has had an ongoing elbow problem and complained of discomfort after Saturday’s game.
Coetzee is confident De Jongh will recover in time to resume his role at inside centre, otherwise Willem de Waal could be pushed into the starting line-up at No 10, a move that would see Peter Grant shifting to No 12.
If De Jongh passes fit, the Stormers management has to decide on a replacement for Cronje on the bench. Coetzee is considering De Waal or Conrad Hoffmann, despite the latter’s lack of game time at flyhalf.
‘We still see Conrad as a flyhalf even though he hasn’t played much at No 10 in the Vodacom Cup. What’s important is that he’s got some game time under his belt.
‘If you look at it another way, Conrad can provide valuable cover at scrumhalf now that Bolla Conradie is out with an injury.’
Lock Adriaan Fondse was expected to be back for the Cheetahs fixture but Coetzee said the second rower will prove his fitness in the Vodacom Cup this weekend. This puts him into contention for the squad to tour Down Under, and the head coach hopes Morgan Newman will also be ready for these matches. Players not considered for the overseas leg include Conrad Jantjes and Nick Koster.
Tim Whitehead, who has trained regularly with the Stormers, could be a bolter in that squad and will provide cover in the midfield. According to Coetzee, the rookie is ready to make the step up to Super 14 rugby and could make the cut ahead of more established players like Dylan des Fountain and Frikkie Welsh.
‘When you’re good enough, you’re old enough,’ said Coetzee. ‘You have to back your youngsters. Look at how the Bulls have backed Gerhard van den Heever, Francois Hougaard and Stephan Dippenaar. It’s exactly the same with us, we trust our young talent to do well.’
By Jon Cardinelli
52 Comments
15 Mar 2010, 13:32 pm
Does anyone have more info on this?
15 Mar 2010, 13:36 pm
Actually, I like this. The Stormers players are nice and aggro. Its good to see from the tinkerbelles down South.
15 Mar 2010, 13:39 pm
then again he is an X cheetah !
15 Mar 2010, 13:42 pm
I’d really prefer to see our boys keep their noses clean…..
15 Mar 2010, 13:48 pm
Stormers 31 – Cheetahs 9
15 Mar 2010, 14:04 pm
I was talking to an ex springbok once and asked him: “don’t you get tired of constantly talking rugby with everyone you meet?” His response was, “no, but what really pisses me off is when you are out somewhere and some person who clearly hasn’t played any sport for many years, and probably was never any good at it anyway comes up to you and gives you advice or insults you or tries to solve your “current lack of form” problem in a drunken, obnoxious way”
I’ll bet you it was one of these…….
15 Mar 2010, 14:19 pm
Stormers becoming like Aussie and Kiwi rugby players
15 Mar 2010, 14:20 pm
@stormersboy: Lol, I’ll remember this response next time an Aussie or Kiwi is reported getting into a fight on a night out!
I can’t remember too many Aussies or Kiwis getting put in hospital recently during their “own personal time”!
15 Mar 2010, 14:22 pm
@WOLFMAN21: LOL I agree the brokeback must be softer than the kiwi and aussies or they just cant fight
15 Mar 2010, 14:37 pm
Hmmmmm. Those who slated Luaki recently here? The silence is deafening…
15 Mar 2010, 14:41 pm
I, personally, wouldn’t pick a fight with Lionel Cronje… Maybe with Duvenhage or Joe Petersen ya
15 Mar 2010, 14:46 pm
Who is this whitehead guy ? Nice to see guys making the team on their abilities and not cotton wooled. Kinda sad that Frikkie Welsh dont make the cut , never been a fan of him but he really impressed me for WP in the CC. Well at least we know we have decent reserves waiting.
Now and this is my biggest gripe , Newman ??? Seriously ? I watched him very very closely last year , even missed the games live that I attended that he played and I will say what I said last year , he has not shown a small miniscule glimpse of anything remotelty promising for me. Sorry , I might be wrong in the long run but on current form and from what we seen last year he does not deserve CC never mind S14 start time. I would play him in the VC.
15 Mar 2010, 14:50 pm
I’m not quite sure how I feel about De Waal in the starting lineup… Start Grant, and bring De Waal in off the wood, if at all. Can we please have some STRAPPING for De Jongh? I thank you.
15 Mar 2010, 14:58 pm
@4thWiseMan: Dont you think De Waal can fight better than Cronje so he will at least not have to go to hospital when one of his fellow cape townians ***** slaps him,so maybe a better bench sitter
15 Mar 2010, 15:04 pm
Stormers are playing their best rugby ever in the super 14 , but never write of the Cheetahs .. . . .
15 Mar 2010, 15:06 pm
@Airwell: I don’t think we should be too mean to Cronje about having to go to hospital, the person he fought was pretty tough apparently, I heard she was almost as tall as Luke Watson.
It is funny to compare the response from the bloggers, the media and the coach to when something like this happens in NZ or Aus.
15 Mar 2010, 15:13 pm
@WOLFMAN21: 16
Could’ve been one of those Bulls girls… I hear they pack quite a mean punch, and rather than face them head on, you should try to outrun them if you can
15 Mar 2010, 15:19 pm
@Airwell: 14
He was arrested and THEN taken to hospital. Probably the standard procedure by the boys in blue (in this case, the police) when they arrest someone remotely well-known – to cover their own asses in case the boy was seriously hurt or something. The High Performance Centre’s medical staff found nothing wrong with him… Come on, they make our boykies tough over here
15 Mar 2010, 15:25 pm
Cronje was hassling my wife.
I gave the kid so many lefts, he was begging for a right.
Sorry Lionel – sleep tight !
15 Mar 2010, 15:26 pm
@4thWiseMan: I doubt it was one of them bulletjie girls – all of them are far taller than Luke Watson.
15 Mar 2010, 15:31 pm
@WOLFMAN21: 20
And wider too.
15 Mar 2010, 15:38 pm
@4thWiseMan: Still think De Waal would have sorted it out without an injury. He is from the States after all
15 Mar 2010, 15:43 pm
@4thWiseMan: I must say, those girls next to the field at Newlands are bigger than a fair few of the players on the field, and I am not only talking of little Joe.
Scary sight when those girls do their leg kicks.
15 Mar 2010, 15:54 pm
HAHAHA! Actually, I’ve been up close and personal (not as personal as I’d like) with those girls (there’s a photo floating around on the Player 23 site somewhere). They’re not that big hey, and most of them are petite. All smaller than me, and I barely pip 1.78m.
Those high leg kicks are a different story entirely… I think the word I’d use is, “impressive”
15 Mar 2010, 16:04 pm
From what I’ve heard about Cronje he seems to be a very down-to-earth kid. Let’s try reserve judgement until we’ve heard the full story. Haven’t all of us gotten into fights for one reason or another?
15 Mar 2010, 16:06 pm
@renoog: Moi never am a good boy
15 Mar 2010, 16:10 pm
He was no doubt baited into it. If the bloggers here spewed half as much vitriol in real life as they do on this site, I wouldn’t blame Cronje for taking a swing at his antagonist. Hell, had I been within earshot, I probably woulda given ‘ol Lionel a hand.
15 Mar 2010, 16:14 pm
OK, I could probably revise that comment, but you all get my drift, I’m sure.
15 Mar 2010, 16:16 pm
It’s tough being in the limelight. Trust me I know. You have a traget on your back sometimes, any oke with a couple of Kraaifontein Cocktails on him thinks he’s going to be the man and show you a thing or two. Whatever it was, the truth will probably out in a day or two…..
15 Mar 2010, 16:21 pm
Kraaifontein Cocktails
15 Mar 2010, 16:23 pm
@stormersboy:
So erm, Stormersboy… Pray tell, what exactly were you in the limelight for?
15 Mar 2010, 16:27 pm
uhm, just move Sirel to 13, Fourie to 12 and bring Aplon to 14…simple?
15 Mar 2010, 16:31 pm
@4thWiseMan:Well there was this ex-beauty queen, a circus clown, myself and a case of Johnny Blue…..and that’s when all the trouble started…..
Never mind. Nothing, forget I said anything. That’s what anonymous blogging is all about, after all…..
15 Mar 2010, 16:33 pm
@Warpath:
Yes, that’s right hey, Sireli plays his rugby for Fiji at centre. Could work.
15 Mar 2010, 16:34 pm
@stormersboy: 33
Hmmm… This didn’t happen to all take place at a Polo match, did it?
15 Mar 2010, 16:35 pm
@Warpath:
Because Fourie cant pass,Sireli cant tackle and never played together as a combo.also both havent played those positions more tha 5 times in professional careers.
15 Mar 2010, 16:36 pm
@4thWiseMan: Yes, at Kurland in fact, but we were just “clowning around”…
15 Mar 2010, 16:42 pm
@mshiniwami: Sireli can’t tackle?..thats new..he is one of fiji’s best defenders and weirdly our best linebreaker 2 years ago in the Pacific Nations Cup..only thing he lacks is speed, though his acceleration (which looks like a moped going down a road) is quite good
15 Mar 2010, 16:43 pm
@stormersboy:
Soooooo… Either you got into a fight with the guy that’s currently shagging Lee-Anne Liebenberg, or you are the guy that’s currently shagging Lee-Anne (HIGH 5!)
15 Mar 2010, 16:46 pm
@4thWiseMan: Let me set the record straight. I was kidding about me being in the limelight, but I have been fortunate enough to have spent a great deal of time around top level professional sportsmen over the years, both professionally and over time, personally too. I’ve seen the **** that they have to put up with from a sometimes well meaning public, which is all fun and games, but occasionally someone just behaves like a do3s. And that’s when things sometimes get interresting.
I’ll tell you a story from a while back that will bring a smile to you face:
Some years ago (last century in fact) I was at the J&B Met with 2 WP players, one being a very large loose forward, who were getting quite a lot of attention from a slighly tipsy blonde in one of the marquees. The blonde had obviously set her sights on the slightly smaller, but more well known of the 2, but it wasn’t really working out, as said player’s girlfriend made an inopportune appearance. Not to be deterred, the tipsy blond slinked over to the big fella, and, not having recognised him, asked in her best “come hither” voice: “So, what is it that YOU do…?”. The big fella looked down into his drinks glass, pondered the question for a bit and responded with a complete deadpan expression:…
“I’m a Jockey…..”
15 Mar 2010, 16:49 pm
jaaa….toe kry daai windgat laaitie lekker op sy moer…
15 Mar 2010, 17:06 pm
@stormersboy: 40
BWAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAA!! Even big forwards got jokes yo
15 Mar 2010, 17:51 pm
@Warpath:
Sireli cant tackle front on,which is medium for outside centre birth,plus at 13 you are the marshall of the line calling etc..Sireli cant do that.period
15 Mar 2010, 22:26 pm
And where the hell is JJ?
16 Mar 2010, 00:49 am
One of his team-mates ought to have whacked him with a woman’s handbag and made him cry. That’s what more evolved team-mates do for a wasted, stroppy compadre.
16 Mar 2010, 00:53 am
@4thWiseMan: Leigh Anne Liebenberg sounds like the wrestler who beat up Sky-High Lee, that blerry Yankee. Pass me the popcorn, chewing-gum peanuts and bubble-gum, Daddy.
16 Mar 2010, 01:28 am
@TheTackler: Now you can only call it sugar balls these days – the song has been edited for PC reasons of course. Ag Pleeez!!
16 Mar 2010, 01:30 am
@SpringbokSarah: Last I heard JJ was on the TV show Good Times! Kid DynOmite!
16 Mar 2010, 05:11 am
Those sugars have no sense of humour, hey?
16 Mar 2010, 10:09 am
@TheTackler: 46
I highly suggest you Google Image Lee-Anne Liebenberg, and see what comes up, bru.
16 Mar 2010, 11:26 am
@4thWiseMan: Look, I don’t think that anyone will disagree that Lee-Anne is smoking hot. And lovely in person too, which isn’t always the case. But I’ll agree with Tackler there, when she opens her mouth she sounds like a cross between The Nanny and that Amanda Forrow woman who used to be on Five FM…. Amusing for the first 5 minutes but after that….
16 Mar 2010, 20:51 pm
its quiet funny because the guy that cronje was in a fight with… he my friend and the guy is still in high school, and he put lionel in the hospital. how weak is cronje. lol.
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