Hacjivah Dayimani is set to return against the Scarlets this week, with the Stormers weighing up their captaincy options should the injured Ruhan Nel be unavailable.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s round-four URC clash at Cape Town Stadium, assistant coach Dawie Snyman revealed that Dayimani comes back into selection contention.
The loose forward starred during the Stormers’ opening three matches of the season but was ruled out for last week’s Investec Champions Cup win over the Bristol Bears due to concussion.
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“Hacjivah had his concussion, but he should be available this week,” Snyman said on Monday. “We’re actually in a good position with those opportunities or players available.”
Nel was a late withdrawal last Saturday due to a calf injury, with Wandisile Simelane starting at 13 and Paul de Villiers taking over the captaincy.
Head coach John Dobson was quoted post-match that he hoped Nel would only be sidelined for about a week, but said the team would be conservative with his return.
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Providing an update on the 35-year-old’s availability, Snyman said: “It’s probably more precautionary. He could have pushed [Nel on Saturday].
“On a calf, if you rip it, then it’s a little bit longer term. So we didn’t want to take a chance there.”
He confirmed it was Nel’s other calf from the injury that had previously troubled the centre against the All Blacks on 7 August.
De Villiers, Deon Fourie, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu or Siya Kolisi could lead the team in Nel’s absence.
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“We’ll have to look at the team selected first and see who the leaders in the group are,” Snyman added.
“We’ve always had options. We’ve had Siya there in the past, and Sacha has led the team.”
He was impressed by De Villiers’ performance last week, and believes the 23-year-old will lead the club in many matches going forward.
“He’s definitely one for the future. He’s very calm in his approach. He leads by example, everyone understands him and he knows what the big moments are in matches.”
Photo: Cole Cruickshank/Gallo Images
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Hacjivah Dayimani is set to return against the Scarlets this week, with the Stormers weighing up their captaincy options should the injured Ruhan Nel be unavailable.
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