Burger, de Villiers, Jantjies to miss Stormers-Cheetahs clash

Springbok loose forward Schalk Burger and inside centre Jean de Villiers will miss the Super Rugby warm-up fixture against the Cheetahs on Saturday 2 February.

Stormers coach Allister Coetzee revealed that Burger and de Villiers, along with hooker Deon Fourie, will be unavailable for the match.

“Schalk had one session on Monday morning and has a bit of a tight calf, but one session was sufficient in terms of what he had to do in terms of his fitness.

“Jean had a cyst removed and he still has a couple of stitches in his neck. There is no need to rush him back.

“Deon Fourie took a knock on his quad and has a haematoma. It’s just precautionary, as we don’t want to risk him with the situation at hooker.”

The Stormers’ new star acquisition, Elton Jantjies, is on personal leave due to the death of his father, and will also be ineligible for the fixture.

“It’s really sad, a real tragedy for the Jantjies family and we want to support Elton in whatever way we can,” said Coetzee. “Once his dad has been laid to rest, we’ll assess how he feels.”