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Cape Town - The DHL Stormers back three reshuffle that some critics have been speculating over has moved a step closer to becoming a reality as Conrad Jantjes battles with an Achilles niggle that could keep him out of the match against the Highlanders on Friday.
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Jantjes was not at his best against the Cheetahs last week and there is a feeling that Gio Aplon might offer more from a counter-attack viewpoint if he returns in the No 15 jersey rather than on the wing. Youngster Danie Poolman has shown enough in his first two outings to suggest he should get an extended run at right wing.
However, another option is to play Lionel Cronje in the last line of defence. The former Cheetahs Under-21 player was brought to the Cape to play flyhalf but still makes too many mistakes in training for him to be used as a frontline pivot. He played fullback for the Western Province Vodacom Cup team at the weekend, and according to coach Allister Coetzee, talking to the Cape media on Monday night, he is also a fullback option.
“We could use Gio at fullback and he ran there at training, but I must say that Lionel Cronje also played very well there for the Vodacom Cup side this past weekend. The main concern at the moment is Conrad,” said Coetzee.
Both Jantjes, who has been out for a few weeks with a hamstring niggle, and Jaque Fourie (chest injury) returned to full training on Monday, while the men who were missing were Jantjes, Bryan Habana and Andries Bekker.
Fortunately for the Stormers, Coetzee described the absence of the latter two as a precautionary measure. However, there is some concern over prop Brok Harris. “Brok has trained, but he has a stiff wrist. He is 75 percent at the moment and that is why we have JC Kritzinger at training,” said Coetzee.
Should Harris be forced to miss the Highlanders match the best option for the Stormers would probably be to switch CJ van der Linde to his preferred position of tighthead (he has played loosehead up to now) with Kritzinger coming in at loosehead. At the moment it appears the stocks of Wicus Blaauw, considered the star of the Western Province front-row in the Currie Cup season before last, are low, as are those of former Bulls lock Adriaan Fondse.
Both players continue to languish in the Vodacom Cup while Rynhardt Elstadt (for Fondse) and Van der Linde and now Kritzinger (for Blaauw) play ahead of them. Another former Stormers stalwart playing in the Vodacom Cup is the WP captain JD Moller.
The Stormers’ front-row resources have been boosted by the news that former Lions hooker Ethienne Reynecke, now with Saracens, has joined the Stormers on loan as cover for the injured Tiaan Liebenberg.
