Frans Malherbe set for an exciting return
Legendary Springboks prop, Frans Malherbe is set to make a long awaited return following an injury sustained during the World Cup.
Legendary Springbok prop Frans Malherbe will mark his return to on-field action for the Stormers in their URC showdown against Edinburgh in Cape Town on Saturday.
The ninth-placed Stormers welcome the fourth-ranked Edinburgh in the Mother City for a crucial clash in the race for the URC playoffs and the home side will need all their star players to come to the party to help them get the desired result.
One of those players is Frans Malherbe. The two-time World Cup-winning Springbok prop, has been on the sidelines since returning from the tournament in France.
Initially, the details about the injury was a bit of a mystery, but the Stormers have since confirmed that the veteran Springbok tighthead prop was sidelined with a back injury.
FRANS MALHERBE ON THE PADDOCK
Five months later and it appears Malherbe has made a full recovery after completing a rigorous rehabilitation programme.
The man tasked with anchoring the Stormers and Springbok scrum over the last few years, is ready to resume his front row responsibilities and his comeback will be against Edinburgh.
The Springbok’s return will be made official on Friday afternoon, when the Stormers name him in their match 23 for the game on Saturday.
STORMERS V EDINBURGH
Match-up Insight
– These two sides are both in the top three offloading teams in URC 3: they’ve made an average of 11.2 (1st) and 8.6 (3rd) respectively per 80 minutes.
– The Stormers have averaged double the number of offloads per 80 minutes in matches they’ve won than matches they’ve lost (14.5 to 7.2).
– Edinburgh have scored a very similar number of tries in matches they’ve won and matches they’ve lost (averages of 2.4 and 2.3 respectively). In matches they’ve won, they’ve attempted an average of 2.75 penalty goals – and scored an average of 7.5 points – compared to 1.7 (and four) in matches they’ve lost.
SPRINGBOK FRANS MALHERBE
CONFIRMED FIXTURES FOR 2024:
- Saturday, 22 June: Springbok vs Wales (Twickenham, London)
- Saturday, 6 July: SA vs Ireland (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)
- Saturday, 13 July: Springboks vs Ireland (Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban)
- Saturday, 20 July: SA vs Portugal (Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein)
- Saturday, 10 August: Australia vs Springboks (Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane)
- Saturday, 17 August: Australia vs SA (Optus Stadium, Perth)
- Saturday, 31 August: Springboks vs New Zealand (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg)
- Saturday, 7 September: SA v New Zealand (DHL Stadium, Cape Town)
- Saturday, 21 September: Argentina v Springboks (venue TBC)
- Saturday, 28 September: SA v Argentina (Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit)
- Saturday, 10 November: Springboks v Scotland (Murrayfield, Edinburgh)
- 16/17 November: England v SA (Twickenham, London – date TBC)
*A report from French media outlet Midi Olympique has suggested France will face the Springboks on 2 November.