Stormers centre Robbie Fleck has been ruled out of their next two home games against the Northern Bulls and Brumbies.
The Springbok test player saw a neurologist on Monday morning following the injury which saw him stretchered off half an hour into Saturday's nerve-jangling 22-18 defeat by the Mr Price Cats and has been advised to rest for two weeks. Fleck took a knock on the head when he collapsed after being ankle-tapped by Cats hooker Leon Boshoff.
Fleck is expected to return to Super 12 action in their first tour match against the Crusaders in Nelson. His unpredictability will be missed but his absence gives an opportunity to powerful Bolander Wayne Julies to underline the good impression he made in 1999. Julies replaced Fleckie during Saturday's match against the Cats and now gets a starting berth.
"He's been with the squad all the way through and he must play. He did well when he came on against the Cats and deserves the chance," Stormers coach Alan Solomons said.
Julies will be lining up against a Bulls side for whom he made two appearances during the dog days of their ill-fated 1999 campaign. He followed that breakthrough with a starring role in the Under-21 Boks' win in the SANZAR/UAR championships in Argentina.
It was followed by a call-up into the Springboks' World Cup squad, where Wayne's test debut against Spain was cut short because of a hamstring strain. His place on the Stormers' bench will be taken by Fedsure Western Province centre De Wet Barry, who has been in sparkling form in the Vodacom Cup.
Apart from Julies, the tall Janneman Brand may get his first start in a Super 12 match because of his lineout skills. The Stormers lost five out of 10 lineouts in the first half against the Cats on Saturday and two out of eight in the second.
While hooker Johan van Wyk's lineout throwing was not of the same high standard as Charl Marais', the Stormers lineout woes were exacerbated by the fact that all three of the current loose trio - Corne Krige, Hendrik Gerber and Tokkie Kassleman - are on the short side.
With Tokkie Kasselman excelling against the Cats, Gerber is most likely to make room for Brand, who will take over at No 8 with Kasselman moving to flank.