The Stormers will contact the Springboks on player availability for the 5 December clash against the Sharks should any of them not have featured a week before the match.
John Dobson’s men are heading into a month’s break after Saturday’s 33-7 win against Ulster, with Rassie Erasmus’ Boks en route to Europe for the second leg of the Nations Championship. South Africa face Italy (7 November), France (13 November) and Ireland (21 November) before the finals weekend on 28-29 November.
The Stormers on Wednesday had 11 players called up to the national squad for the second leg of the competition, including the uncapped Markus Muller, Riley Norton and Yaqeen Ahmed.
Dobson has not ruled out calling on any of them for the coastal derby in Durban.
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“We’ll have a chat with the Springboks because they were good around the Perth game [against the Wallabies],” the director of rugby said. “A couple of guys were sent back to play for their clubs.
“We’ll plan without them and if it gets to a week off, we’ll phone Uncle Charles [Wessels, Boks team manager] and say, ‘Listen, can those guys come in?’
“[The Nations Championship final] is going to be a fantastic experience. But if the guys in the non-playing squad can leave after training later in the week, hopefully they can come into the frame for us.”
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The Stormers also have a 13 December Investec Champions Cup trip to Bordeaux Begles, followed by URC derbies against the Lions (19 December) and Bulls (3 January).
“The quantity of Springboks is a challenge for us. I don’t know how these new Springboks fit into the annual plan,” Dobson added.
“I don’t see, realistically, that we’re twisting them to come back and play for us against the Sharks. We’ll have to work it out.
“We could play the Lions and Bulls away without the Springboks. I think that’s what’s nice about the squad … I think we can still put out a pretty good side.”
Other than managing Bok resting protocols and availability, Dobson addressed the Stormers’ plans over the coming weeks.
“These guys [back home] get a proper two-week break, and then we’ll just start moving again to get ready for the Sharks.”
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
The post Dobbo to call Uncle Charles about his Boks appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
The Stormers will contact the Springboks on player availability for the 5 December clash against the Sharks should any of them not have featured a week before the match.
The post Dobbo to call Uncle Charles about his Boks appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
