Baxter suffers setback

Waratahs head coach Ewen McKenzie has been forced to call for front-row reinforcements after tighthead prop Al Baxter was struck in the face at training.

Rookie Dan Palmer joined the 26-man squad in the early hours of Thursday morning (AEST), and with Matt Dunning (calf) already ruled out of the pivotal clash with the Stormers the youngster is a strong chance to feature at Newlands.

"Al copped a blow to the face and he's had some scans as a precaution," McKenzie said.

"The scans haven't revealed anything serious but tighthead is such a confrontational position that we need to be sure Al's one hundred percent by Saturday."

"We've got a few days up our sleeve and I'm pretty sure Al will be OK (but) if not, I've got full confidence in Dan who made his debut against the massive Highlanders front row in Dunedin this year."

A win against the in-from Stormers will seal a semi-finals berth for the Waratahs and McKenzie - himself a World Cup-winning prop - says the build up to the clash has been significant.

"It's like semi-final week in Cape Town," he said.

"We've been busy with the local press and the sports pages are dominated by this game - it's going to be a memorable night for our guys at Newlands."

"We need to focus on our job better than last week because the Stormers will be desperate to win in front of their home crowd."