Now Stormers do want Ollie
2008-05-12 14:04
Gavin Rich
Cape Town - The drawn match against the Waratahs has left the Vodacom Stormers under no doubt that they could benefit from the services of Ollie le Roux - even if it is just for the final Vodacom Super 14 league match against the Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday.
The news that Le Roux, who has been playing his rugby in Ireland, may be available to the Stormers broke last week.
Stormers coach Rassie Erasmus denied it, saying that Le Roux was a long time friend and he was coming to Cape Town just to catch up as a friend.
However, it has now been confirmed by team management that Erasmus and Le Roux will meet on Monday, and the possibility of Le Roux playing would be discussed.
It is unclear whether Le Roux would be available for a semi-final as per the tournament conditions, which apparently prohibit players from appearing in the playoffs if they have not played a minimum number of Super 14 games.
It was abundantly clear in the Waratahs game that the Stormers desperately need to move their first-choice tighthead prop Brian Mujati back to his preferred position, and Le Roux's arrival will make this possible.
The Stormers scrum was close to disintegration at times on Saturday, and this is going to be a crucial phase against the Lions, who were in a resurgent mood against the Chiefs this past weekend.
Without good scrum ball it is almost impossible to launch, and it was one of the reasons why the Waratahs appeared to be the team doing all the playing in the tight struggle at a wet Newlands.