The Stormers went from feast to famine within a few months with their stocks at lock.
After a shoulder injury to JD Schickerling, one set to keep him out of action for an extended period, the Cape side has two fit front-line second-rowers in captain Salmaan Moerat, and lineout caller Ruben van Heerden left to run the show in the United Rugby Championship (URC).
Suddenly the Stormers only have two fit front-line locks ahead of the North-South derby vs the Bulls. JD Schickerling is out for an extended period with a shoulder injury #URC #STOvBUL - https://t.co/ZeM6lq83Ae
— Leighton Koopman (@Leighton_K) February 4, 2025
If they do not pick up any more injuries this week, Moerat and Van Heerden should pair in the locks against a formidable Bulls line-out on Saturday for the first North-South derby of the season in a packed DHL Stadium (2pm kick-off).
A few weeks ago, the Cape outfit had the conundrum of how they would fit Schickerling, Moerat and Ruben van Heerden into one team. It was a selection headache that the Stormers coaches struggled to deal with.
The conundrum solved itself with the unfortunate injury to Schickerling. But that was not how director of rugby John Dobson saw things going down as they welcomed the competition for places in the starting line-up.
Adre Smith (Japan) Hendre Stassen (France)
— Rágnár Ván Töndérsön (@Slipcatch) January 23, 2025
What is in the depth like?
Salmaan Moerat and Ruben van Heerden can play as tight head locks. Even JD Schickerling played there.
Connor Evans played there in the Junior Boks but he might get seen as a 5.
Gary Porter is another option.
They were so sound in the second row that the Cape side decided to grant Adre Smith the opportunity to go and play his rugby in Japan for the rest of the season. He recently signed a contract extension until 2027 with the inaugural URC champions.
Smith can fulfil both the four-and-five-lock positions and his absence now puts extra strain on the team. The Stormers also had former Junior Springbok Hendre Stassen in their ranks, but after a short stint in the Cape, he left for France where he is currently playing for Brive.
Gary Porter and Connor Evans are the other locks in the Cape. Both until recently struggled with injuries, but Porter could be available for selection, although he hasn't been in a Stormers jersey for a while.
The other option, of course, is to let Springbok Ben-Jason Dixon make the switch from flanker to lock to provide cover on the bench.
Can @TheStormers climb into the top 8 on Saturday against Vodacom @BlueBullsRugby? 👀#BKTURC #URC | #STOvBUL pic.twitter.com/vav3pQIzBD
While it will be a gamble not to start the bruiser, having him cover lock and flanker on a 6-2 replacement bench could actually aid the Cape side in their bid to stay unbeaten at home against their arch-rivals.
A loose-trio of Deon Fourie, Evan Roos and Marcel Theunissen will still be good enough to challenge and even top the visitors' back row. It could mean a positional switch for Roos from the back of the scrum to the side with Theunissen taking the number eight jersey.
It's a crucial clash for the Stormers ahead of a couple more local derbies away from home. They need to find some winning momentum and for that, they have to find the right combinations in certain positions.