Stormers call on Canadian loosie
9 May 2012
Canadian Test loose forward Jebb Sinclair has been drafted into the Stormers squad and will play off the bench against the Cheetahs this Saturday.
Coach Allister Coetzee said on Monday that plans to bring Francois Louw to Cape Town had failed, but promised that the search for another experienced loose forward would continue.
The Stormers have struggled with injuries in the loose forward department, and desperately needed somebody to offset the losses of Schalk Burger, Duane Vermeulen and Nick Koster.
Coetzee revealed that it was initially hoped that both Sinclair and Louw would join the Stormers, but he is nevertheless happy to have secured Sinclair’s services for the remainder of the Super Rugby league stage.
Sinclair won’t be available for the play-offs, as the tournament rules stipulate that players need to have registered with a team before 1 April in order to be eligible for knockout games.
The 1.93m, 111kg forward will travel back to Canada to play for the Canucks during the June Test window, and then link up with the Stormers again for their three remaining league matches. By this time, players like Koster and Burger should also be back from injury.
‘We’ve lost two No 8 options, and I wanted to find an experienced replacement,’ said Coetzee when asked why he didn’t promote one of the Vodacom Cup players. ‘I had to look around and I’m happy that Jebb is the kind of guy that will do a good job.
‘That has always been the issue, we were always looking for an experienced No 8 once we knew Duane and Nick would be unavailable. Nizaam Carr has done a good job but he is still inexperienced, and there is a tough set of matches coming up, we want to be well covered.
‘A guy like Nick Fenton-Wells has played No 8 in the Vodacom Cup, but at Super Rugby level you need more of a specialist, and Jebb has also played rugby at the highest level.’
Apart from playing 25 Tests for Canada, the 25-year-old loose forward has enjoyed a stint at English club London Irish.
Sinclair arrived in Cape Town on Wednesday morning, and will wear the No 19 jersey in Saturday’s match against the Cheetahs. Coetzee doesn’t believe Sinclair will struggle to adapt to the Stormers’ structures in such a short time.
‘It’s been done before. We did it a couple of seasons ago when Matt Toomua joined us a couple of days before a Currie Cup game. Tamati Ellison also did it earlier in the season when he played for the Highlanders a couple of days after returning from Japan.’
Meanwhile, Eben Etzebeth’s return could be the most timely ahead of physical clash against the Cheetahs.
Etzebeth missed the Stormers’ last tour fixture against the Force with a shoulder injury, but has recovered sufficiently to take his place in the second row for this weekend’s encounter. His return is certain to provide the Stormers pack with more clout, and that lock combination does look more balanced with Etzebeth partnering a specialist No 5 like Andries Bekker.
Other changes to the forwards see Deon Fourie coming in for Tiaan Liebenberg at hooker as Coetzee looks to rotate some players. Brok Harris replaces tighthead Frans Malherbe, who started against the Force two weeks ago.
In the backs, Jean de Villiers has overcome a wrist injury to take his place at No 12 and lead the side. His return sees Juan de Jongh shifting one position out to No 13 and Bryan Habana moving back to the wing. Gio Aplon is also back from injury and will replace Gerhard van den Heever.
Stormers – 15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jean de Villiers (c), 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Rynhardt Elstadt, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Deon Fourie, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Subs: 16 Tiaan Liebenberg, 17 Frans Malherbe, 18 De Kock Steenkamp, 19 Jebb Sinclair, 20 Louis Schreuder, 21 Burton Francis, 22 Gerhard van den Heever.
By Jon Cardinelli
189 Comments
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9 May 2012, 13:37 pm
I get the distinct impression that the WPRU just don’t rate Kitshoff higher than VC level.
I must say nothing I’ve ever seen from him suggests otherwise too..
9 May 2012, 13:39 pm
@Jonck(Jonck)-49:
yeah they are…
i was told before the world cup that ‘all’ the senior stormers were going to come back this year and put in a real huge effort to finally win something… that’s why it was such a surprise that jaque left… but you can’t expect anyone to turn that sort of life security down…
it’s also why i was confident before the season started that bryan would turn things around this year… he’s put in massive time and effort…
was a pity that pLo wasn’t retained… really liked him…
hope he is still playing somewhere…
9 May 2012, 13:39 pm
@ufo(ufo)-48: Thanks
9 May 2012, 13:49 pm
@ufo(ufo)-45: Seem like a decent bunch, those Canucks. And even their accents are far more palatable than the average American drawl.
9 May 2012, 13:50 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-51:
i liked the look of him and his style of play too in the games he played last year… reminds me a lot of heirich brussow… not saying is as good or close to as good as heinrich… but plays a very similar game… so if it’s fetchers we need always thought he would be a good option…
but there’s obviously something more to the plot that we don’t know… maybe because he can’t play for the boks and they don’t want to hold back the younger guys…
i know it seems a contradiction with them now calling on jebb… but they couldn’t have known just how things would unfold this season…
all the injuries on the one hand… an on de udder hand darren… the vc team doing so well…
so we’ll just have to wait and see how it turns out…
9 May 2012, 13:52 pm
@ufo(ufo)-55: Ja, I guess in the big scheme of things it’s not like we can influence it in any way so we may as well sit back and enjoy the show.
9 May 2012, 13:53 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-54:
for sure katman…
they don’t appear to take themselves as seriously as the yanks…
reckon it’s gonna be an eye-opener for jebb to play at newlands with such support…!!
9 May 2012, 13:54 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-51: Perhaps.
But two points to consider:
1. Why not find out if that suspicion (that his ability has a ceiling) holds true in practice?
This was an ideal opportunity to give another young player exposure on a higher plane. Any WP loosie already has an edge over any Canadian international or Saracens hooker regarding defensive systems, attacking lines, etc.
2. Why recruit another player for the short term if he will not be involved in the later stages of the competition? That equates to spending time, money and other resources on human capital that will leave your shores and on which you will see no return in future.
Anycase, I don’t know the ins and outs of the decision to bring Sinclair to Cape Town, but from what I’ve seen at the WC, I am sure there are other domestic alternatives that could do a similar “cover” job with similar if not better aplomb.
Kleeberger – well, now that is an entirely different conversation.
9 May 2012, 13:58 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-56:
yeah… and what a show it promises to be…!!
more importantly…
i really hope nizaam has an absolute blinder… i think this is going to be a game tailor-made for him…
his speed, skills and linking are all perfect for the sort of game the cheetahs play…
i hope he doesn’t disappoint…
don’t think he will…
9 May 2012, 14:02 pm
‘We’ve lost two No 8 options, and I wanted to find an experienced replacement,’ said Coetzee when asked why he didn’t promote one of the Vodacom Cup players. ‘I had to look around and I’m happy that Jebb is the kind of guy that will do a good job.
‘That has always been the issue, we were always looking for an experienced No 8 once we knew Duane and Nick would be unavailable. Nizaam Carr has done a good job but he is still inexperienced, and there is a tough set of matches coming up, we want to be well covered.
‘A guy like Nick Fenton-Wells has played No 8 in the Vodacom Cup, but at Super Rugby level you need more of a specialist, and Jebb has also played rugby at the highest level
This is why Kitshoff was not looked at, he is a specialist opensider, he can’t cover 7 or 8. This guy is similar to Duane in size and can cover 7 and 4 as well. I think these are the reasons Kitshoff has not found his way into the Stormers team. I do believe that they should have given him a go at 6 off the bench, just to see his aptitude at Super 15 level.
9 May 2012, 14:06 pm
Stormers fans are such whores,this guy is so good that not one of you had even heard of him before today.
Yet you are so desperate that you are already claiming him as the second coming of Schalk Burger.
I thought that kid Carr was the standout player against the Force ,showed so much more than that wanker Koster.
And you lot would see him replaced by a Canadian, I mean Canada is a serious rugby nation.
Why don’t you revisit the you tube s of that great Fijian wing you had a season ago
He looked great before he came to Province as well.
Maybe Coetzee should pay his players a little money a nd a little more loyalty.
9 May 2012, 14:06 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-54:
Give me American drawl anytime.
Call it Swing,
Call it Country,
or Western
Call it hip hop.
rap.
funk,
call it gospel.
Blues.
Call it rock,
or rock and roll.
Call it bluegrass,
Big Band,
Dixieland,
Punk,
Jazz,
or
Soul,
In fact almost every-kind of progressive drawl since Beethoven.
9 May 2012, 14:11 pm
@Kritik(Krit)-60:
good points…
9 May 2012, 14:13 pm
@cane(cane)-62: When the average Yank gets to voice his or her opinion into a microphone, nine out of ten times it’s going to be a grating, irritating ordeal. Not all the accents, but particularly the nasal, pretentious West Coast dialects. It’s probably a combination of the accent and the deluded sense of self importance that they carry with them that rubs the katman up all wrong.
Give me the Canucks any day of the week.
9 May 2012, 14:18 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-54: Can you notice the difference between Canadians and Americans? I can’t.
I am proud to announce that I am getting better at distinguishing Kiwis from Aussies though
9 May 2012, 14:19 pm
Jinne mad eye are you always so woes
9 May 2012, 14:19 pm
@Kritik(Krit)-60:
There is no such thing as a specialist 8 in modern rugby.
It is the one position which can accommodate very different kind of players.
9 May 2012, 14:25 pm
@willievz(willievz)-65: There are at least half a dozen major American accents, many of them with their own subdivisions. And Canadian accents sound quite different from them.
9 May 2012, 14:27 pm
bite my hesd off but why not recruit Puke Watson, how bad could he be, unless hes injured or unavailable, he has played at this level for years
9 May 2012, 14:28 pm
@dreus(dreus)-69: Because Puke has been reborn as the King of Kings.
9 May 2012, 14:29 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-68: I know.
But…
They all sound the same to me
9 May 2012, 14:29 pm
@willievz(willievz)-65:
many canadians prounce “about” as “aboot”
some don’t…
9 May 2012, 14:30 pm
pronounce…
9 May 2012, 14:32 pm
so much for academy and vodofone cup
typical WP attitude – bringing in canadian
WHY not a kiwi???
9 May 2012, 14:32 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-68:
worst of them for me is the boston one…
9 May 2012, 14:36 pm
@ufo(ufo)-75: Buzztin
9 May 2012, 14:43 pm
@willievz(willievz)-76:
exactly… very grating…
but the strangest one of the lot is the cajun swamp people… with their french ancestry it sounds like a whole other language and you can’t understand them…
i once asked two of them what language they were speaking…?
the looks on their faces…?! i think they thought i was mocking them…
‘Merican they growled back…
i had flashes of Deliverance and me squealing like a pig.. got the hell outta there…!!
9 May 2012, 14:45 pm
@ufo(ufo)-77:
they made jebb and kleeburger look like nice clean-cut boys…!!
9 May 2012, 14:46 pm
@willievz(willievz)-71: Check this vid out. Her accents aren’t too bad. You’ll have to sit through the UK and Euro stuff before you get to the North American accents.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UgpfSp2t6k
9 May 2012, 14:46 pm
@ufo(ufo)-75: Yes I cant stand when Boston Rob speaks on Survivor.
9 May 2012, 14:47 pm
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-80:
me too… but his is not as bad as some…
9 May 2012, 14:53 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-79:
talented lady…!!
9 May 2012, 14:59 pm
Kitsoff 20
Etzebeth 20
Kolisi 20
Carr 21
Malherbe 21
Ntubeni 21
Elstadt 22
Koster 23
Fourie 25
Vermeulen 25
Steenkamp 25
Harris 27
Bekker 28
Burger 29
Liebenber 30
Carstens 32
With such a young pack, and Vermeulen, Koster and Burger out as number 8 options, it is perfectly understandable to get some experienced backup for the young Carr.
And Carr is still starting, so relax people.
9 May 2012, 15:00 pm
@mad eye(mad eye)-61:
Your comments are so ridiculous I won’t even bother typing a serious reply.
9 May 2012, 15:04 pm
This has to be about not wanting to disturb the momentum of the WP VC squad.
Otherwise, surely someone like Hilton Lobberts would be an option?
He is the type of player Coetzee has defined he needs for the rest of the league stage.
Plus he has Super rugby experience.
Hell, he even has test experience (okay only 1 cap, if I recall. But still…)
Lobberts has always had raw power but was unfit and his skills were poor.
Province powers-that-be seemed to have worked on him a bit.
Sure, they’ve been retreading him into a 4 lock, but no doubt he can still play blindside and he KNOWS THE STRUCTURES AND THE PLAYERS.
?
9 May 2012, 15:06 pm
@puff(puff)-85: Ja, could be I guess. But they are looking for a solid 8, who will provide experienced guidance and backup to the bunch of 21 year old’s starting.
I don’t know if Lobberts is that player.
9 May 2012, 15:06 pm
Whats ridiculous,the public denial of a pay strike,the exodous of talented players,the incredible injury rate,the 5 th captain of the season,or the recruitment of a Canadian player out of the U.K.
Seems like the fragile wheels are coming off again.
9 May 2012, 15:16 pm
UFO @ 77.Very clever.Very funny.
9 May 2012, 15:16 pm
Ja, I smell another Nakkallievoekie here.
9 May 2012, 15:17 pm
Hello Dawn
Hope you are well.
9 May 2012, 15:19 pm
That sounds as if the Stormers made an out of deperation move?
The upside for them is that loose forwards such as Carr & Kolisi hardly ever get injured,,
9 May 2012, 15:22 pm
@ryecatcher(ryecatcher)-88:
hehehe…
pretty scary too…
9 May 2012, 15:24 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-89:
as long as he doesn’t give penalties away in the dying moments of the game…
@wpjoulekkading(wpjoulekkading)-83:
good to remind everyone… nizaam is starting… maybe jebb doesn’t even get onto the field… or maybe at lock…
9 May 2012, 15:34 pm
The point here is not if Carr is worth his place, it’s the fool coach opening his big mouth and saying that he doesn’t think he is good enough to play against the Cheetahs.
9 May 2012, 15:34 pm
@ufo(ufo)-93: Also, when Todd Clever played no-one complained.
9 May 2012, 15:37 pm
@mad eye(mad eye)-94: yet he selects him to start the game, how ironic.
9 May 2012, 15:38 pm
@mad eye(mad eye)-94:
Did you even read the article properly?
Coetzee was talking about Nick Fenton-Wells, who is not an 8 but a 6 and has only played a few games for WP at 8 in the Vodacom Cup.
Carr is starting, Jebb is on the bench.
9 May 2012, 15:41 pm
That one mad eye is squint
9 May 2012, 15:42 pm
Reminds me of the craziest guy in the crazy house
9 May 2012, 15:43 pm
We, of course, don’t have accents.
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