John Dobson has confirmed that lock Chris van Zyl will lead the Stormers during the preparation fixtures, but a decision on a long-term captain has yet to be made.
The Stormers are looking for a new leader after Springbok captain Siya Kolisi left the franchise to join the Sharks.
Both Dobson and Van Zyl spoke to the media on Wednesday, in the buildup to their opening preparation-series fixture against the Cheetahs on Saturday.
Dobson said that, along with Van Zyl, he was also considering Springbok loosehead prop Steven Kitshoff and 22-year-old lock Salmaan Moerat as options for the long-term captaincy.
‘We’ve got great ideas,’ Dobson explained. ‘Chris is here now and we’ve got great experience with him. Kitshoff did a great job when Siya wasn’t available for a fair portion of last season.
‘We’ve also got a guy like Salmaan Moerat who we are looking at as a long-term leader at this union. So, it will be one of those guys and we may go so far as making an announcement once we’re sort of clearer when the next tournament is starting. Those are pretty much our candidates.’
Kitshoff will is among the capped Springboks who will not be playing on Saturday, but Dobson moved to reassure fans that his strongest players will be utilised in the series, which will be used to further prepare them for the upcoming Rainbow Cup.
‘That’s why it is called a preparation series,’ Dobson said. ‘What stage we are going to do it, that’s probably the only debate. We could be going into a two-week quarantine period and our next game could be against Leinster.
‘If Steven Kitshoff played his last game on 23 January and only next plays against Leinster in April, that’s one way of getting him injured. So, they will be playing in this series. How and when is something we will manage.’
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