Stormers assistant coach Dawie Snyman confirmed that Springbok duo Herschel Jantjies and Damian Willemse have been sent home to rest.
Jantjies and Willemse starred in the Stormers’ third bonus-point win on the bounce when the Cape Town men triumphed over Zebre 37-20 on Saturday.
Time for a rest
However, the duo have not had the chance to rest after the Rugby Championship, with the November Tests set to begin in under a month.
New signing Clayton Bloemmetjies missed the Zebre clash for his wedding and will now link up with the team in Wales ahead of their clash against Ospreys this weekend.
“We are sending Herschel and Damian home, just for the rest they need to get in after being involved in the series against Wales and the Rugby Championship,” Snyman told media from Parma on Monday.
“Clayton had his wedding. Fortunately, he said he will have his honeymoon at a later stage, so he is on his way.”
Hooker Chad Solomon suffered a severe bicep injury against Zebre, and JJ Kotze will join the side as injury cover for the remaining two games on tour.
“We are still waiting to see what’s happing with Chad. He tore his bicep,” said Snyman. “Luckily, JJ went well over the weekend against the Pumas and he will get on the plane to come over and join us as back-up.”
Future looks bright
Junior Springboks captain Sacha Mngomezulu stole the headlines last weekend after scoring 22 points in his first start, including a flawless performance from the kicking tee and his maiden try for the Cape side.
Snyman admits the future of the Stormers at fly-half is looking good as prospect Kade Wolhuter played over the weekend for Western Province against the Pumas.
“At this stage, we have a little bit of depth,” said Snyman. “Especially with Sacha coming through. It’s great that he can play next to Manie, at inside centre. He will be learning from Manie and, at some stage this season, he will step in at fly-half when we need to give Manie a breather.
“It’s great to not only have Sacha, but also see Kade Wolhuter playing over the weekend. In terms of that position, the future is looking bright.”
The defending champions have a full house of points from their opening three games and are 14 wins on the bounce heading into their clash with the Ospreys this weekend.
The Stormers will face Cardiff a week later in their final tour game before facing a plucky Lions side in Johannesburg on October 29.
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