Stormers co-captain Salmaan Moerat is set for an extended period on the sidelines after suffering a knee injury in their dramatic victory over the Vodacom Bulls this past Saturday.

Stormers head coach John Dobson confirmed on Tuesday that Moerat will miss the Vodacom United Rugby Championship match against the Sharks on Saturday.

Moerat and Steven Kitshoff were appointed as co-captains this season and the latter will lead the Stormers in Durban.

“Salmaan went for a scan on Monday. We thought after the game he would be OK, but he has damaged his MCL, so I would imagine he is out for a reasonably extended period of six weeks,” Dobson said.

“Obviously, Kitshoff will take over [the captaincy].”

The good news for the Stormers is that the injury will not require surgery, which means Moerat will return towards the end of the season.

“The injury happened early in the second half,” Dobson added. “I don’t think it’s anything more than, at worst, a grade two. It won’t require a surgical intervention.”

Dobson said that, with Adre Smith likely to replace Moerat in the starting lineup, he is still very comfortable with his options in the second row.

“Very much so, which wasn’t the case at the start of the URC or in the Currie Cup semi-finals. Saying that, we have to be quite aggressive because Adre Smith, in my mind, is a very similar player to Salmaan. Both are capable of calling the lineout. So, it’s like for like.

“Adre is at least as good as Moerat in the lineouts. We will be better at the lineouts than we were last week.”

Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images