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
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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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