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United Rugby Championship: Stormers have some ‘niggles’ which could be a ‘threat’ for the semi-final against Connacht

Stormers head coach John Dobson admits there are some potential injuries to some key stars that could be a “threat” for their semi-final against Connacht this weekend.

The niggles come from the defending champions’ impressive 33-21 win over the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship quarter-finals last week in front of a packed DHL Stadium.

Two main concerns

The coach revealed there were concerns with a tweak of Deon Fourie’s hamstring whilst question marks around second-row Marvin Orie’s shoulder.

The duo are crucial to the inner workings of the Stormers pack that is so important in providing the electric backline with a platform to run with. One such back is Leolin Zas, who made a try-scoring return from injury, and Dobson clarified that he was taken off to prevent being reinjured.

“We’ve got a couple of niggles that we have to get our head around, and that’s potentially a threat for this week,” Dobson said.

“Deon got a little hamstring tweak, so he came off a bit earlier, and we were just worried about re-injuring Zassy (Zas). They are great presences on the field.

“Marvin over the last few weeks has been very good, he has a bit of a sore shoulder.”

This weekend the Stormers host Connacht who produced a massive shock by beating Ulster at Kingspan Stadium in their quarter-final.

A side with “dog”

Dobson expects a massive challenge from a team full of fight and confidence. However, it will be a huge task for the Irish side to face up to the defending champions on their formidable home patch.

“They are tough opposition. With respect to Connacht, a team that has crossed the equator is useful opposition rather than somebody flying down from up country or Durban,” Dobson said.

“We can feel confident. But there is something there that is really worrying. They fight, and their attack shape is really good. The way they took Ulster apart at the breakdown was good.

“Like Seabelo (Senatla) always says, ‘we got dog’; they have that ‘dog’ in them. Connacht is a great story, to do what they are doing with the smallest budget. They don’t go away, and Ulster saw that (on Friday).

“They are perhaps going to be much tougher opposition than we think.

“They have a helluva lot of mongrel in them.”

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