Etzebeth to miss season-opener
The Stormers' Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth and fellow second row forward Manuel Carizza will both miss the start of the 2015 Super Rugby season.
Etzebeth (chest injury) and Carizza (shoulder) both suffered injuries in last Friday's 39-31 pre-season win over the Cheetahs.
They will be out of action for four and three weeks, respectively.
The Stormers will open their 2015 Super Rugby campaign against the Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday, February 14.
The loss of Etzebeth, who missed a large chunk of the 2014 season with an ankle injury, will be a huge blow for the Stormers - who also faced an injury crisis in the second row last year.
However, on the flipside there is the news that No.5 lock Ruan Botha continues to make significant progress from his long-term ankle injury (which he picked up during the 2014 Currie Cup season), with fellow young second row forward Jean Kleyn having made his return from injury as a replacement for Carizza last Friday.
"We have been through a crisis at lock before, but someone like Michael Rhodes did well there [in the past] and Jurie van Vuuren is looking good too, so we are certainly not going to panic."
Wing Kobus van Wyk is out for 10 days with a minor calf strain, but could still come into contention for his team's season-opener in two weeks' time.
Meanwhile utility back EW Viljoen will be out for seven days, after taking a knock to the head against the Cheetahs.
He did, however, pass his concussion test after the match and is sitting out as a precaution this coming weekend.
Centre Damian de Allende (slight quadriceps tear) is on track in terms of his rehabilitation but he will not be risked this weekend.
Loose forwards Siya Kolisi (tight hamstring) and Nizaam Carr (viral infection) will again not be risked this weekend, but both are still making good progress and will continue to step up their conditioning this week.
The Stormers will complete their pre-season preparations against the Boland Cavaliers at the Cape Town Stadium this Saturday.