Cape Town - The Stormers' Pat Cilliers and Scarra Ntubeni have been sent home from their Australasian tour due to injuries.
The duo will join Rynhardt Elstadt, who returned to Cape Town last week, while prop Frans Malherbe and utility forward Michael Rhodes are in doubt ahead of Friday’s match against the Chiefs in Hamilton.
According to the Stormers’ official website, hooker Ntubeni (calf) and prop Cilliers (rib) were injured in the 14-13 weekend loss to the Crusaders.
Ntubeni has a grade two tear and could be out for five weeks, while Cilliers could be out for up to six weeks.
Malherbe (broken baby toe) and Rhodes (shoulder) will be given until Wednesday to prove their fitness.
Boland prop Martin Dreyer will join the squad in Auckland this week and negotiations are presently underway to secure Griquas hooker Martin Bezuidenhout as cover for Ntubeni. If Bezuidenhout cannot make it, Western Province Vodacom Cup hooker Stephan Coetzee will fly over as cover.
Meanwhile, fullback Jaco Taute has a sore AC-joint after getting a bump on the shoulder but is expected to be ready to face the Chiefs.
Taute butchered a try against the Crusaders when he decided to take contact instead of passing to team-mate Kobus van Wyk on the outside - which led to him leaving the field with a sore shoulder.
The Stormers' clash against the Chiefs kicks off at 08:35 (SA time) on Friday, with captain Jean de Villiers due to play his 100th Super Rugby game.
The duo will join Rynhardt Elstadt, who returned to Cape Town last week, while prop Frans Malherbe and utility forward Michael Rhodes are in doubt ahead of Friday’s match against the Chiefs in Hamilton.
According to the Stormers’ official website, hooker Ntubeni (calf) and prop Cilliers (rib) were injured in the 14-13 weekend loss to the Crusaders.
Ntubeni has a grade two tear and could be out for five weeks, while Cilliers could be out for up to six weeks.
Malherbe (broken baby toe) and Rhodes (shoulder) will be given until Wednesday to prove their fitness.
Boland prop Martin Dreyer will join the squad in Auckland this week and negotiations are presently underway to secure Griquas hooker Martin Bezuidenhout as cover for Ntubeni. If Bezuidenhout cannot make it, Western Province Vodacom Cup hooker Stephan Coetzee will fly over as cover.
Meanwhile, fullback Jaco Taute has a sore AC-joint after getting a bump on the shoulder but is expected to be ready to face the Chiefs.
Taute butchered a try against the Crusaders when he decided to take contact instead of passing to team-mate Kobus van Wyk on the outside - which led to him leaving the field with a sore shoulder.
The Stormers' clash against the Chiefs kicks off at 08:35 (SA time) on Friday, with captain Jean de Villiers due to play his 100th Super Rugby game.