The freak incident has left the team’s coach facing an anxious wait
Dobson was left fearing the worst after the incident(Image: Getty Images)
The Stormers are facing a potentially “catastrophic” injury blow ahead of their United Rugby Championship play-off quarter-final against Cardiff on Saturday, following a freak training ground incident.
John Dobson’s side are preparing to host the Welsh region in Cape Town this weekend, just over two weeks after they tasted defeat at the hands of Corniel van Zyl’s men at Cardiff Arms Park in the final game of the regular season. After that win sealed their place in the top eight, Cardiff are now searching for their first play-off win in eight years.
The visitors may have been handed a boost in that regard with the Stormers now sweating over the availability of two key backline players following an incident in training on Wednesday.
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During a session at Cape Town Stadium, there was a heavy collision between Damian Willemse and Leolin Zas, with both players forced to leave the field injured and Dobson fearing the worst.
“I hate watching practice on a Wednesday. I try not to watch,” he told CapeTalk.
“Then when I looked up, I just saw Zas and Damian hit each other at 100km an hour, and then two bodies lying there for long minutes.”
“You always watch the physio’s reaction,” Dobson added as he admitted alarm bells had been raised. “And then she’s sort of going to call the doctor, and then the doctor starts waddling across.”
Both players have now undergone scans, with two-time Rugby World Cup winner Willemse reportedly suffering a knee injury. Win free tickets to watch Fiji v Wales in Cardiff this summer.
Zas, meanwhile, is believed to have suffered a suspected haematoma, having reportedly been seen having his knee heavily strapped with an ice pack after limping off the training field.
“I’m waiting for the scans,” said Dobson when asked if the duo would be fit enough to face Cardiff this weekend. “That would be catastrophic if those two are both out.”
The collision was not the only scare that Dobson and his team faced on Wednesday, with superstar Springbok fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu also leaving the session early after feeling unwell.
However, there is believed to be little concern over the 24-year-old’s availability this weekend.
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