Tighthead prop Neethling Fouche is a frontrunner to replace Salmaan Moerat as DHL Stormers captain, with the injury-plagued lock set for another spell on the sidelines.
This is according to forwards coach Rito Hlungwani, who provided insight into the Capetonians’ recent developments ahead of their upcoming clash with Scarlets in the Vodacom URC at Danie Craven Stadium on Saturday.
Playing his first match after a lengthy lay-off due to knee surgery, Moerat injured a pectoral muscle during a 35-33 win for the Stormers against the Lions last week.
“Unfortunately it looks like a pretty serious injury so we won’t be seeing him for a couple of games,” Hlungwani told reporters on Monday. “I’m sure Dobbo [John Dobson] will confirm later in the week, but it’s not a good injury.”
Regarding the stand-in captain, Hlungwani mentioned that Fouche is in the running to take over the captain’s armband, saying, “We still have to discuss it thoroughly and finalise it, but Neethling is in the leadership group, so he would be one of the guys we would consider.”
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Reflecting on this past weekend’s victory at Ellis Park, Hlungwani was pleased but acknowledged the need for improvement: “We are very happy with the five points, but continuous improvement is very important to us.
“We know the Lions in the last 25 minutes, they always come out with a little bit more intensity than they started the game. And a big part of it, we felt we were seduced by that style of play.
“You would have seen a quick lineout when we thought our maul was starting to dominate a bit and I think we sort of played into their hands.
“But we’ve got to get better, that’s one thing, we have to improve and we have to get better.”
Looking ahead to their first home game of the 2023-24 season, Hlungwani recognised the challenges posed by Welsh club Scarlets, especially considering their experience at altitude.
He added: “We expect it to be a very tough game. They usually play very well against us, a nice mix of flair and a kicking game style of rugby.
“I think they will come here and they will fight. They are very competitive, they are not going to sit back, relax and look to go home.”
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