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Dan du Plessis during a Stormers training session at his High Performance Center in Bellville, near Cape Town, on September 22, 2020.
Ashley Vlotman / Gallo Images
- Stormers center Dan du Plessis hopes to dazzle in front of the Newlands faithful just like his legendary father.
- Michael du Plessis was a star of the Western Province and part of the team that won the Currie Cup five times in a row between 1982 and 1986.
- Dan says he hasn’t seen much of his father in action and jokes that the latter has lost most of his images and shirts.
Stormers Center Dan du Plessis says he hopes to emulate his father Michael by bringing an exciting brand of rugby to Newlands.
Michael du Plessis He was a star player for Western Province in the 1980s and an integral part of the team that won the Currie Cup a record five times in a row.
Michael was equally proficient on flyhalf and downtown and diehard Western Province fans will remember him for his unpredictability and flair.
Dan has shown glimpses of his father’s potential, but so far his career has been ruined by injuries.
The 25-year-old former Junior Springbok hopes that is a thing of the past as the Stormers prepare for their first Super Rugby Unlocked game against the Lions in Newlands on Saturday.
While addressing reporters through a virtual briefing on Monday, Dan was questioned about whether he receives advice from his 61-year-old father, who also played eight Trials for the Springboks between 1984 and 1989.
Dan said his father had taken a back seat in recent years when talking about his game.
“In the early stages of my career, he was more influential in giving critical comments. Now not so much, it’s more like ‘well done, well played.’ I think I can be a bit stubborn with his comments at times as well.
“Sometimes he gives some advice, but during the early stages of my career I used to be more critical about many things.”
Michael was a player who enjoyed catching the ball early and with his front foot and often had the Newlands crowd ecstatic with his exciting style of play.
Dan joked that he hasn’t seen much of his father in action.
“I think I’ve seen like four clips of him playing, he lost all his old images and all his shirts and stuff.
“So it’s just a weird video I’d see on YouTube or a Facebook clip of him … so I can’t go on, but from what I heard from the people who supported him is that they enjoyed the way he played and the style of rugby he played. “
But there is one thing Dan is adamant about: he would like to emulate his father’s exploits in the park.
“He also brought an exciting brand of rugby to Newlands and that’s obviously also what I want to try to do here … bring exciting career rugby and entertain the Newlands faithful.”
