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Allister: I won't risk Grant

Stephen Nell

Cape Town - The Stormers may well field their fourth flyhalf on their tour of Australia and New Zealand when they take on the Brumbies in a Super Rugby match on Saturday.

Kurt Coleman, a 21-year-old Matie who has previously been utilised as a substitute by the Stormers this year, will wear the No 10 jersey if Peter Grant does not recover from his ankle injury by Friday's captain's run in Canberra.

"I'm giving Peter as much time as possible to recover 100%. If he's only 90%, he won't play," Stormers coach Allister Coetzee said from Sydney.

If that transpires, Dewaldt Duvenage will again be the back-up option at No 10. However, the unlikely flyhalf hero from last week's remarkable win over the Blues has been included at scrumhalf in place of Ricky Januarie.

Grant started the tour as flyhalf, but injured an ankle in the first game against the Chiefs.

After that Lionel Cronjé started against the Blues, only to hobble off with a knee injury after 25 minutes to pave the way for Duvenage's heroics.

However, this week Coetzee wants Duvenage's crisp passing at scrumhalf.

"The Brumbies' defensive line is well-organised and we're not expecting holes around the fringes that we could attack," the coach explained his decision to axe Januarie and pick Duvenage.

"This week it's important to stick to our structure. Dewaldt has been playing well the entire year."

There are interesting developments in midfield, with Coetzee having had to put a lot of thought into selecting a centre pairing.

He ultimately decided to keep Juan de Jongh at inside centre, with experienced Springbok Jaque Fourie returning in place of Johann Sadie at No 13. Sadie and Jean de Villiers are both among the substitutes.

"Juan was excellent against the Blues and it's reward for his good work. I also expect the Brumbies to shoot up off the line quickly and his side-step will be an asset against a rush defence," said Coetzee.

"Jaque has been picked for his ability to organise the defence, and his physical and attacking approach.

"With Ricky, Jean and Johann on the bench, we have players who could lift the tempo and make an impact."

Up front Nick Koster gets his big chance to start at No 8, with Duane Vermeulen dropping down to the bench.

"It's a case of managing Duane. He has been playing since our pre-season games and has a few niggles. It's a good opportunity for Nick. He has showed something every time when coming on. His pace is a big asset and he has a good sense of where the space is on the field."

Brok Harris replaces the injured CJ van der Linde at tighthead prop. Steven Kitshoff is the prop replacement and it's another good development opportunity for the youngster after doing so well as an impact player against the Blues.

Teams:

Brumbies:
TBA

Stormers:
15. Conrad Jantjes, 14. Gio Aplon, 13. Jaque Fourie, 12. Juan de Jongh, 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Peter Grant/Kurt Coleman, 9. Dewaldt Duvenage, 8. Nick Koster, 7. Francois Louw, 6. Schalk Burger (captain), 5. Andries Bekker, 4. Rynhardt Elstadt, 3. Brok Harris, 2. Deon Fourie, 1. Wicus Blaauw
 
Substitutes: 16. Tiaan Liebenberg, 17. Steven Kitshoff, 18. Anton van Zyl, 19. Duane Vermeulen, 20. Ricky Januarie, 21. Jean de Villiers, 22. Johann Sadie
 
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