Malherbe back as injured Stormers return

Cape Town - The Stormers go into their clash against the Sharks in Durban this weekend well rested, and there is good news on the injury front as a result.

While the Sharks were falling apart against the Bulls this past weekend - they lost 40-10 at Kings Park - the Stormers had their feet up, making the most of their bye weekend. 

It is a simply massive fixture this weekend, and whoever loses will be left with an uphill task in looking to secure a path to the Super Rugby play-offs. 

While the Sharks are playing their eighth match in as many weeks, including their four-game Australasian tour, the Stormers are hoping to welcome back a number of players from injury for the business end of their campaign. 

Top of that list is Springbok tighthead prop Frans Malherbe, who is "good to go", according to Stormers skills coach Paul Feeney. 

Malherbe has been out for months with a neck injury, and his return will be a welcomed boost for Wilco Louw, who has been the Stormers’ major asset in the front row.

Feeney is also hoping to have JJ Engelbrecht, Dan Kriel and Dewaldt Duvenage all available for the Sharks, while loose forward Cobus Wiese will be assessed throughout the week. 

The other major return is that of flyhalf Jean-Luc du Plessis. 

The 23-year-old has been struggling with groin and hip injuries all year, but he is likely to feature for Western Province in this weekend's SuperSport Challenge game against the EP Elephants in Port Elizabeth. 

Feeney, meanwhile, is not reading anything into the Sharks' struggles against the Bulls last weekend. 

"The Sharks will be disappointed by that performance, so their coaches would have had one or two harsh words to say and they’ll be training really hard this week," he said.

"It’s probably not a good thing for us, that result, to be honest with you."

Saturday's match kicks off at 17:15.