MUNSTER COACH RASSIE Erasmus doesn’t expect CJ Stander to be ready for next Saturday’s clash with Ulster, leaving him doubtful for the Champions Cup semi-final against Saracens the following week.
The Irish international suffered an ankle injury in the quarter-final win over Toulouse and recovery is slow.
But Erasmus is hopeful that scrum-half Conor Murray will return for the derby clash with Ulster at Thomond Park on Saturday, having missed the 41-16 victory over Toulouse with a shoulder injury.
Erasmus said they waited until the end of last week before making a call not to play him in Saturday’s 10-7 win over Glasgow Warriors, but he is hopeful that Murray is close to a return.
I don’t think CJ will be ready next week, we are hoping but maybe not; Conor we will have to wait for, he hasn’t got full power back yet but we will see how he is later in the week.”
Erasmus said that out-half Tyler Bleyendaal, withdrawn with a concussion early in the game, would now go through the regular return to play protocol.
“Normal concussion, he is now going through the normal procedure,” he said.
Given the possible loss of Stander heading into the business end of the season, it was more than timely that his fellow South African Jean Deysel should post such a strong debut in the back row, while former Irish U20 Conor Oliver produced a man-of-the-match performance at openside, just a week after picking up a similar gong in the B&I Cup semi-final win over Ealing Trailfinders.
A lot of guys this year have put their hands up, Dan Goggin, Brian Scott, Darren O’Shea and others. Rory Scannell, remember, was only a youngster last year, Darren Sweetnam is doing well, it’s always nice to see guys coming through who maybe were not well-known names or established players before this season.”
“It’s another six or seven weeks of rugby like this, we see there are injuries, like CJ at the moment, a guy like Jean can play lock or a loose forward, so it helps having depth,” added Erasmus.
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