Stormers winger Bryan Habana will not be fit for Saturday’s clash against the Sharks in Durban. This is a major blow for the Stormers in their quest to nail down a Super 14 home semi-final.

Habana suffered bruised ribs in the match against the Crusaders last week at Newlands and by Wednesday morning was still experiencing discomfort.

Centre Tim Whitehead, who replaced Habana on the left wing early in the second half at Newlands last week, has been given the nod to fill the boots of the speedy Springbok winger.

Joe Pietersen, the stand-out fullback in early Super 14 matches this season, makes a welcome return after a lay-off as a result of a hip injury.

He has been named on the bench and his versatility will offer Stormers coach Allister Coetzee, a host of options when the need for replacements arise.

Apart from playing at fullback, Pietersen has had a few outings on the wing and flyhalf.

The Stormers are presently trailing log-leaders, the Bulls, by five points and a victory over the Sharks will ensure they remain in the hunt for a home semi in a fortnight’s time.

Next week the Stormers host the Bulls at Newlands in the final Super 14 round-robin fixture of the season. The tickets for this match was snapped up within 24 hours of sales opening a few weeks ago.

Stormers Team:
15. Gio Aplon, 14. Sireli Naqelevuki, 13. Jaque Fourie, 12. Juan De Jongh, 11. Tim Whitehead, 10. Peter Grant, 9. Dewaldt Duvenage, 8. Duane Vermeulen, 7. Francois Louw, 6. Schalk Burger (captain), 5. Andries Bekker, 4. Adriaan Fondse, 3. Brok Harris, 2. Tiaan Liebenberg and 1. JD Moller

Substitutes: 16. Deon Fourie, 17. Eusebio Guinazu, 18. Anton van Zyl, 19. Pieter Louw, 20. Ricky Januarie, 21. Willem de Waal, 22. Joe Pietersen

Source: sport24.co.za