Cape Town — The Stormers will give flanker Deon Fourie the whole week to prove his fitness ahead of their United Rugby Championship (URC) semi-final against Connacht on Saturday in Cape Town.
Fourie tweaked a hamstring and left the field about five minutes after half-time against the Bulls in the quarter-final. The home side won the match in the DHL Stadium 33-21 to book a home semi (4pm kick-off).
Fourie is a vital cog in the Stormers side, not just with his experience and leadership ability, but his prowess at the breakdown and efficiency in slowing down the possession of opponents.
Connacht made the breakdowns a nightmare for Ulster in their all-Irish quarter-final, and thanks to them winning this battle, they progressed further in the competition.
Fourie will therefore play an important role this Saturday and the Stormers will bank on him to secure the ball for them and to slow Connacht on the attack.
"That is the area they put Ulster under pressure, and Ulster could not get any flow in the game because of that breakdown pressure," backline coach Dawie Snyman said.
"They go hard at the breakdown and will definitely try and slow us down. We need to be sharp in that area.
"We will give Deon the full week to make sure he is 100%. He felt his hamstring in the first half, he has gone for scans. At this stage, it looks quite positive. It's just all about how he can recover from that.
"Hopefully he will be alright."
Winger Seabelo Senatla is still recovering after being in a car accident and will not be available for selection.
Apart from Fourie, the Stormers have a clean bill of health as they step up their preparations for Connacht.
The Irish club has been on a good run of form lately and after dispatching the more fancied Ulster, they will be buoyed for this match.
They have never played at DHL Stadium after facing the Stormers in Stellenbosch in the first game of the second season of the URC. The home side won that game comfortably after Connacht centre Bundee Aki received a red card.
In the first year of the competition, the two sides played in Galway, with the home side winning 19-17.
IOL Sport