Locked out: On loan Ruben van Heerden not eligible to play for Stormers against Harlequins

The Stormers won't be able to call on the services of lock Ruben van Heerden for Saturday's round of 16 Champions Cup clash against Harlequins at Cape Town Stadium.

The Exeter Chiefs lock joined the Stormers on loan in January.

The 25-year-old was recruited temporarily to fix the Stormers' lock crisis after they lost Salmaan Moerat for the season to a knee injury.

Van Heerden won't be able to play in the Champions Cup for the Stormers this season, News24 has reliably learnt, because he played for Exeter in the early rounds of the competition and is therefore ineligible to feature for the Stormers in the current campaign.

His No 4 spot for this weekend is expected to be filled by Ernst van Rhyn.

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News24 reported last week that Van Heerden was enjoying his stay in Cape Town and was eager to make his move permanent.

"I'm loving every moment," Van Heerden said.

"My heart wants to stay here and I think my wife enjoys Cape Town, so she would love to stay. But there's nothing we can disclose at the moment.

"I would definitely love to stay here and I could see myself staying at the Stormers for quite a long time."

Saturday's clash at Cape Town Stadium kicks off at 16:00, with the team line-ups to be named on Friday.