Springbok flanker Ben-Jason Dixon ruled out of July Tests after wrist surgery

Stormers boss John Dobson confirmed Dixon's injury will still take several months to heal.

"He's definitely out for the rest of this season. And to be honest, we're missing him, very much so," Dobson said ahead of the Stormers' clash against Benetton.

Dixon, who made his Springbok debut last season and played in five Tests, is set to miss the Boks' 28 June fixture against the Barbarians and the July Tests against Italy and Georgia.

"Three months, July," Dobson added. "It does have an impact on any internationals."

The flanker's loss is a particularly significant one for the Stormers, with Dobson admitting they are a bit short on replacements, particularly after the loss of fellow loose forwards Deon Fourie and Keke Morabe, and the return of the versatile Willie Engelbrecht to the Pumas.

"That's probably my responsibility, that we didn't really control Willie's family situation, but yeah, we're feeling it," Dobson said.

The Stormers are considering various options to make sure they are adequately covered, including employing lock JD Schickerling and utility forward Connor Evans.

"Schickerling does cover ground quickly... It just looks a bit silly, a bit like a giraffe! But he has done that for Western Province," Dobson said.

"I see a lot of BJ in Connor. I just think he has not conditioned in terms of the high accelerations yet, because he's been playing lock. We can work on that for the next while, I think he can be very special.

"We weren't as prepared there as we probably could have been. I think what would have been the case is if Keke [Morabe] had still been fit, then Evan [Roos] would have been on the seven. Marcel Theunissen is doing a good job."

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