‘He was ill before the game’- Stormers coach John Dobson on Herschel Jantjies early substitution

The Stormers went down 31-27 against the Bulls in a tightly contested fixture at Loftus Vermeulen that saw both teams losing key players and Springboks Herschel Jantjies and Duane Vermeulen, respectively.

The Stormers got out the starting blocks the quickest, not showing any signs of away team jitters as they raced away to a deserved 10 point lead.

The Bulls would answer back almost immediately however, and from a trademark rolling maul they managed to dot down for their five pointer courtesy of new comer Marcell Coetzee.

The Stormers were left undeterred by that, however, with solid defence required and then equally displayed, as they manage to keep a dominant Bulls pack at bay.

The Stormers were starting to look increasingly comfortable repelling the Bulls efforts towards their try line, as they continued to weather the storm in an increasingly difficult period for the Cape Town side who had two players sin-binned.

Jantjies suddenly disappeared from the action

In the midst of all the resolute defence and the double yellow card issuing from the referee, key scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies seemed to disappear almost without a trace, and before viewers could notice, the jersey No 21 belonging to one Godlen Masimla was on the pitch, arrowing box kicks that were often difficult to field for either side.

Stormers coach has since offered more clarity on the reasons behind that early substitution of Jantjies, quelling rumours of a hamstring injury in the process.

Dobson clarified the situation

“He was ill before the game,” Dobson explained.

“They tested him before the game, but he was very ill. We just didn’t have another scrumhalf in Pretoria. He’s sick. He went straight off the field and has gone for medical treatment.

READ | BULLS COACH JAKE WHITE GIVES EARLY DUANE VERMEULEN INJURY DIAGNOSIS.

“It was more of a respiratory illness. We weren’t sure during the warm up whether he would make it, but he tried.”

Although Springbok fans will be relieved it isn’t a hamstring injury which can take up weeks, they will also perhaps ask questions of the Dobson lead coaching staff who seemingly risked a player’s health, with the full knowledge of his condition pre-match.