Allister Coetzee says his focus remains with the Stormers despite seemingly headed for Japan after the Vodacom Super Rugby season.
Speaking following his side's 39-31 pre-season victory over the Cheetahs, Coetzee denied that any contract had been signed with the Kobe Kobelco Steelers, and instead chose to focus on the immediate task at hand.
'I'm still contracted to Western Province Rugby. I haven't signed any contract anywhere else, not even with Western Province,' said Coetzee. 'My head is in this campaign – it's a massively important campaign for us.'
Coetzee's task could be made infinitely tougher with the injuries suffered during Friday's match at Newlands. Locks Eben Etzebeth (chest) and Manuel Carizza (shoulder) both left the field early, as the Stormers' injury curse threatened to rear its head once again.
Coetzee was refusing to get too far ahead of himself, instead opting to wait for a clearer indication on the extent of the injuries.
'Eben suffered a shot to the chest, but I don't want to guess about it, we'll wait for the injury report tomorrow. The injuries are the biggest concern for us, though.'
Jurie van Vuuren performed admirably after replacing Etzebeth towards the end of the first half, but the loss of the Springbok talisman for any period of time will be a massive blow to the Stormers' conference ambitions.
Ruan Botha is set to return to training this week, while Gerbrandt Grobler still remains on the sidelines.
'Gerbrandt is still in the mix, but there are some medical reasons, which I can't divulge at this point in time,' said Coetzee.
Apart from the injury concerns, Coetzee was happy with how his side stepped up against Super Rugby opposition to make it two-from-two in pre-season following their win over the SWD Eagles last weekend.
'We were very clinical in the first 40 minutes. We built good momentum with ball in hand. We generated quick ball at the breakdown and we scrummed well.
'We weren't happy with the two maul tries that we conceded – that's something we'll work on ahead of the Bulls.
'You don't want to hit the ground running in your friendlies and then come up short in your first game.'
Match report: Stormers vs Cheetahs
Photo: Shaun Roy/Gallo Images
