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The Stormers are set to kick off their Super Rugby Unlocked campaign against the Lions with a fresh and exciting crossing pair, he writes DYLAN JACK.
After a week off in the first round of action, the Stormers will get their campaign underway when they host the Lions in Newlands on Saturday.
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Of all the South African Super Rugby franchises, John Dobson’s team was arguably the least affected by the ins and outs during the Covid-19 forced hiatus. The Stormers have said goodbye to five veteran players as Wilco Louw, Cobus Wiese, Jean-Luc du Plessis and Dillyn Leyds have headed overseas, while Jamie Roberts has returned to Wales with the Dragons. Young whores Schalk Erasmus and Dan Jooste have also gone to the Vodacom Bulls and Sharks respectively, while defender David Kriel has joined Erasmus in the Bulls.
Of all the outings, the outings by Leyds and Roberts should have the biggest impact on how the Stormers prepared on Saturday night. Leyds was effectively the Stormers’ first-choice fullback earlier this year, but Springbok’s astute signing Warrick Gelant should fill that gap.
Gelant looked solid in Saturday’s Super Fan win over the Lions, scoring a memorable try as he ripped through the defense after seeing two forwards in front of him. The 25-year-old is determined to become the ‘fullback’, as he puts it, and he will certainly have a positive impact on the Stormers’ bottom line.
However, losing Roberts makes things a bit more interesting for the Cape side. Dobson backed the Wales veteran to start every game at inside center before the lockout, but now he will have to back former Junior Springbok Rikus Pretorius, who was used as a substitute in the regular season.
Fortunately for the Stormers, Pretorius is a similar replacement for Roberts and brings similar physicality and movement. Hopefully, in the short time he spent learning with Roberts, Pretorius would have picked a few tricks as well when it comes to his ball-in-hand ability, an underrated part of the 21-year-old’s game.
As for who is accompanying Pretorius in midfield, it seems highly likely that Dan du Plessis will return to the starting lineup, given that Ruhan Nel has been ruled out of the game with a hamstring injury. Du Plessis has been battling back-to-back injuries for the past several years, but ironically he was fit to play before the Covid-19 pandemic brought the season to a halt.
Dobson has spoken highly of the 25-year-old, calling him a ‘special player’ and backing him to obtain the national colors if he is able to stay fit and injury free.
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Saturday’s game will officially be Pretorius and Du Plessis’ first time partnering in midfield for the Stormers, but they are likely to face more experienced opponents if the Lions keep their lineup unchanged from the one they lost to the Sharks in Durban. .
‘A lot of people ask me if I enjoy playing at 12 or 13 years older. My answer is usually that it depends on who the 12 is, ‘said Du Plessis. ‘I enjoy playing alongside Rikus. It can bring the physical side to it and it’s actually pretty fast. For a young man, he has a good head. I really want to play with him.
“ I think the Lions will probably go with a similar center couple as last weekend, which was Dan Kriel and Burger. [Odendaal]. As outdoor centers, Burger and [Wandisile] Simelane brings two different types of games. Simelane is a more agile type of player, while Burger brings more on the physical side. It depends on whether they want to go more direct or want to attack our bottom line.
“That’s the plan,” Du Plessis added when asked if fans will finally be able to see the best of him. “I have been working hard during the confinement to get my body in shape. I really want to go out. For the moment, I just want to put together back-to-back games for the Stormers, before I start thinking about Bok’s team. ‘
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi / Gallo Images
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