The Stormers are sweating on the outcome of a scan which will determine whether Damian Willemse will be able to feature in this weekend’s United Rugby Championship (URC) quarter-final.
John Dobson’s men take on Cardiff on Saturday but they could be without both Willemse and Leolin Zas after they collided in training on Wednesday.
Another Springboks star, fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, also suffered a scare when he left the pitch feeling unwell, but it is understood that he should still be available for the URC knockout clash.
Both are doubts
There is more concern over Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s team-mates, with Willemse potentially injuring his knee and Zas picking up a suspected haematoma.
It was certainly not great watching for Stormers boss Dobson, who saw the incident unfold.
“I hate watching practice on a Wednesday, I try not to watch. And then when I looked up, I just saw Zas and Damian hit each other at 100 k’s an hour, and then two bodies lying there for long minutes,” he told CapeTalk.
According to reports, Willemse slipped when attempting to cover a kick through which led to him colliding with wing Zas.
There was immediate worry from all involved with Dobson observing the actions of the medical staff to see the extent of the issue.
“You always watch the physio’s reaction, and then she’s sort of going to call the doctor, and then the doctor starts waddling across,” he said.
The Stormers head into the quarter-final encounter as heavy favourites, but Dobson admits that it would be devastating if both Willemse and Zas were to miss it.
“I’m waiting for the scans. That would be catastrophic if those two are both out,” he added.
Stormers’ season so far
The Capetonians finished the campaign in third position but missed out on the all-important top-two spot after succumbing to Cardiff in their final match of the regular season.
They may also regret a significant dip in form following a stunning start to the campaign which saw them win their first eight games.
Since then Dobson’s side have lost more than they have won, emerging victorious four times, drawing one and succumbing to five defeats.
They will particularly rue home reversals against the Sharks and Connacht, while they only picked up four points from their last two contests against Ulster and Cardiff.