The DHL Stormers have recruited combative former Exeter Chiefs legend Dave Ewers as a stop-gap at looseforward following the injury to Evan Roos and the Springbok call up to Ben-Jason Dixon.
Roos has been ruled out for six to nine months due to him undergoing a much-needed shoulder operation while Dixon’s elevation to the Boks means that he will probably miss the start of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship season.
The opening two weekends on 21 September and 28 September coincide with Bok games in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship.
With Hacjivah Dayimani also having moved on to France and Nama Xaba going to the Vodacom Bulls, the Cape franchise was in need of reinforcement, and it appears that Ewers, who has been recruited on a short-term contract, will be a good addition to the squad.
He played over 200 games for Exeter Chiefs before his one season move to Ulster, where he would have played with the Stormers’ returning former URC winning captain Steven Kitshoff. While at the Chiefs he was a double trophy winner in 2020 when the English side won both the European Champions Cup and the Premiership.
The 32-year-old, who was selected for England against the Barbarians in 2014 and was part of their Six Nations squad under Eddie Jones in 2016, is a physical player known for his ability to get the team’s he plays for across the gain line with his forceful play and should be a good replacement for Roos during his absence.
He is equally at home at both Roos’ position - No8 - and the blindside flank role fulfilled by Dixon and where the Stormers player is currently being used by the Boks as a back-up to Pieter-Steph du Toit. Ewers was originally from Zimbabwe, so he says he’s looking forward to moving “back south” and wearing the Stormers jersey.
“There are some incredible players in this squad and hopefully I can add something extra as we gear up for an exciting season,” said Ewers in a press release announcing his arrival in Cape Town.
Stormers director of rugby John Dobson said that Ewers perfectly fitted the profile of the kind of player that the Stormers were looking for.
“Dave fits the profile of what we were looking for in the short term, given we are missing some key loose-forwards due to injury,” said Dobson.
“He has proven himself as a top player and has experience of what it takes to mix it with the best in Europe, so we are looking forward to seeing the impact he will make within our system.”