John Dobson is confident an ill Steven Kitshoff will lead the DHL Stormers against the Glasgow Warriors on Sunday, but an update on Herschel Jantjies’ injury is less positive.
Dobson named Kitshoff to start in a largely unchanged Stormers 23 to face Glasgow at Scotstoun Stadium in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, reshuffling the backline in which Junior Springbok scrumhalf Imad Khan is set to make his debut.
However, he revealed during a Stormers media conference on Friday – which Kitshoff was set to attend – that the veteran loosehead prop has been battling a cold since arriving in Scotland.
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“Kitsie’s a bit under the weather, he’s got a bit of a cold so we rather keep him wrapped up, but 100% he will be playing,” the Stormers coach told reporters.
“It’s nine o’clock [9am] over here, it’s a big travel [to the United Kingdom] and he comes here a lot with the Springboks … but putting that guy [on a plane] leaving Monday late afternoon to get to Glasgow early Wednesday afternoon … An athlete like that, it’s not surprising he picks up a cold or sniffle, not really sleeping, not a lot of air-conditioning.
“But he’s not running a temperature, the doctors just thought it best he rests a bit. There are a few sniffles [among the squad] … At this stage I hope it doesn’t spread anymore, we’ll try and have them stay in their rooms today to not get any sort of contagion.
“But the guys with the sniffs are all up and about so I’m not too worried.”
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Jantjies, one of several players back home on a lengthy injury list, last played when he ran out for his 50th Stormers appearance in a European Champions Cup win against London Irish on 17 December.
On the status of the Springbok halfback’s recovery, Dobson said: “Herschel has a reasonably long-term injury … I thought it was a rib contusion but it turns out to be some intercostal muscle that’s torn.
“He’s going to be out for … it’s not devastating but it’s three or four weeks when I thought it was a one-week injury.”
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