Stormers coach John Dobson hopes to soon welcome back a Springbok star from injury.
Bok scrumhalf Cobus Reinach had groin surgery in February and his rehabilitation has gone better than expected.
“Cobus is a different cat,” Dobson said after his side’s 29-21 Vodacom URC win over the Dragons at Cape Town Stadium on Sunday. “I think he’ll be back much sooner than we think. There’s a chance for Toulon.”
The Stormers host Edinburgh in the URC on Saturday before travelling to France to take on Toulon in the Investec Champions Cup last-16 playoff at the Stade Mayol on 3 April.
That clash is followed by the Stormers’ final four regular-season URC fixtures against Connacht, table-topping Glasgow (both at home), Ulster and Cardiff (both away).
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The Stormers have been boosted in recent weeks by the return to action of Deon Fourie, Ruhan Nel and Dan du Plessis, while Dobson said lock Ruben van Heerden is also close to full fitness.
Wing Seabelo Senatla was another to make his comeback from injury against the Dragons, but was forced off with a calf injury.
“It’s unfortunate, but hopefully he’s not out for too long,” said Dobson, adding that the improving injury picture is welcome news ahead of the Champions Cup and URC playoffs.
“It’s a big relief. At this stage of the season, you normally shrink your squad because every point counts. Now we’ve got guys coming back, which gives us more options and better balance.”
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Fourie’s return has been particularly significant, with Dobson praising the veteran loose forward’s impact.
“We just wanted to start Deon for a few games to manage him,” he said. “But I actually think he’s better now than when he first came back from injury. He’s been sharp and really effective over the ball.”
However, Dobson said they would resist making too many changes to their match 23, despite having more players available for selection “because we want cohesion”. He pointed to the new U23 competition, which allows a maximum of seven over-age players in a match 23, as a factor.
“That means we don’t have to put guys in [the Stormers match 23] to keep them fit,” he said, citing prop Oli Kebble, who played for the Stormers XXIII in their 45-14 win against the Seattle Seawolves on Sunday, as an example.
“It meant we didn’t have to put him into this [Dragons] game at the expense of someone like Vernon Matongo.”
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
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