Stormers winger Seabelo Senatla lies motionless next to the field after crashing into the LED advertising boards next to the field as he attempted to score a try, with captain Ruhan Nel calling the medics for assistance.
Image: Phando Jikelo
The Stormers won’t only be counting the cost of their physical quarter-final against Cardiff on Saturday, but also the cost of what could have been had they finished second on the United Rugby Championship (URC) log at the end of the regular season.
While they battled past their Welsh opponents on Saturday afternoon, winning 44-21 after a massive fightback from Cardiff, four key players were injured during the 80 minutes and the Stormers are set to be without them.
Flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (ankle syndesmosis), centre Dan du Plessis (knee), lock Ruben van Heerden and winger Seabelo Senatla (both concussions) will likely not feature in the semi-final away to Leinster. While the Stormers have adequate cover, the fact that it is an away match in Dublin will make the challenge even tougher.
The Cape side failed to win either of their final two league matches after starting round 17 at the top of the standings. That saw them slip below the Glasgow Warriors and Leinster, ruling out a home semi-final. And that could come back to bite them ahead of this weekend’s final-four clash at the Aviva Stadium in the Irish capital.
A home encounter against any of the remaining teams could have put the Stormers in a stronger position to win the tie, especially considering their growing injury list.
Despite being without some of his top players, director of rugby John Dobson believes his side can still get the job done. He was pleased with the victory over Cardiff, but added they could have put the game to bed much earlier at the DHL Stadium.
“It is not like we played poorly,” Dobson said.
“Our processes were pretty good. The game should have been resolved by halftime. That is the truth. This is an old issue of ours; you can’t have four entries into their 22m area and be down by seven points after they intercepted and scored. Like in Belfast and Cardiff, we conceded two penalties within 5m of their try line.
“The rest of it was good. We only broke our template around the set piece once. That is very little. (I am) happy with the process and outcome. It was just an expensive game.”
By “expensive”, Dobson was referring to the injuries suffered by several of his star players ahead of the semi-finals. While he believes replacement Jurie Matthee can cover for Feinberg-Mngomezulu, he was more concerned about replacing the energetic Senatla out wide and potentially lineout ace Van Heerden.
The pair were crucial against Cardiff, with Senatla enjoying plenty of success chasing high kicks and never stopping his efforts on attack and defence. He injured himself trying to score a try in the corner, where he bundled into the LED advertising boards next to the field. He was knocked out for a moment, before getting up and being replaced. Van Heerden did not return in the second half following his head knock.
“Seabelo was absolutely magnificent for a guy who has been out for so long,” Dobson added.
“He was imperious in the air, on defence and with his work rate. Sacha, we can live with it, but Seabelo’s injury is massive. It was an expensive game, those injuries. However, Damian Willemse was good. It’s massive that we have him available for next week.
“We must go and do it (play the semis) without last season’s Springbok halfback pairing in Sacha and Cobus Reinach. But we will be up for it.”