All but the 2 000 people present in the Loftus crowd saw both the magical moments that Warrick Gelant produced to swing the game for the DHL Stormers against his old Vodacom Bulls teammates at the weekend, but coach John Dobson was quick to credit the Springbok afterwards for winning the game for his side.
That does not mean though that Dobson is going to change his selection for this Saturday’s follow up Vodacom United Rugby Championship derby against the Cell C Sharks in Durban.
Or for that matter in the immediate future.
The Stormers coach said at the press conference after the Pretoria game that he was yet to speak to his fellow coaches but thought he would stick with his plan of alternating Gelant at fullback with Damian Willemse.
The latter started at Loftus while Gelant came off the bench to rescue the situation after the Stormers had seen a sizeable lead whittled away and had fallen into a hole where the Bulls had all the energy and looked like running away with the game.
“It got very hairy and I felt there were one or two occasions, particularly once the Bulls were more than a score ahead of us, that they could have buried us,” said Dobson.
“The way the Bulls got back into the game in the middle stages was testimony to them. We gave away a lot of energy in that middle part of the game, but it was fantastic the way Warrick changed the game when he came on and managed to get us out of the position we were in.”
Dobson was already pretty sure at that point that he would not be selecting both Gelant and fellow Bok fullback Willemse into the same starting team for Saturday’s trip to Hollywoodbets Kings Park.
“We made a plan for the local derbies, the very important four games in a row that we have now which we need to do well in if we want to get up the log table,” said Dobson.
“We communicated that plan to the players and they brought into it, as did the 12s, and the same applies to a couple of other positions where we have depth.
“I don’t think we should change that plan just based on the last few minutes against the Bulls. I still must chat to the other coaches but I think we will stick to the plan. I don’t think it would be good to chop and change our plans now and it would not be fair on the players.”
' A RUGBY THINKER'
However, Stormers fans can expect to see both Willemse and Gelant in the same starting team should Gelant re-sign with the Stormers when his contract comes up for renewal in June.
“Long term, if Warrick stays at the union, which I am 90 per cent sure he will, then obviously we can’t have a situation where a good player like him doesn’t play in the starting team. Then the obvious move would be to play Damian at inside centre (where he played as a replacement for the Boks last year).”
Stormers defence coach Norman Laker confirmed on Monday afternoon that nearly 48 hours later the plan remained in place and there’d been no rethink after Dobson consulted with his fellow coaches - Willemse will start against the Sharks with Gelant playing off the bench.
And the reverse is planned for the return fixture against the Sharks in Cape Town the following week and then against the Lions the week after that.
Reading between the lines of what Laker had to say, there may even be a benefit to be had from Gelant bringing his experience on later in the game as a substitute.
“Warrick had a great game when came off the bench and brought calmness to the team when he came on for the last 24 or 25 minutes,” said Laker.
“He is a rugby thinker, the thinks on his feet and kicks equally well with both feet. So it is great to have such a quality player on the bench and bring him on at a certain stage when you know you need a game breaker. He is an amazing talent and can calm the guys around him. His calmness makes it easier at that stage of the game as a water carrier to get the messages across.”
That will change if Gelant does opt to stay in Cape Town, with English club Wasps, where Gelant’s former Bulls coach John Mitchell is involved, understood to be one of the other teams trying to secure his signature.
It does make a lot of sense to have both skilled game-breakers in the team from the start of the game and Dobson’s current selection policy is probably more geared towards keeping his inside centres happy.
With just about all players fair game for foreign clubs these days, it would not suit Dobson or the Stormers if they lost someone like Rikus Pretorius because he didn’t see a future as the first choice No 12 due to Willemse moving there and then he must revert to Plan A because Gelant has headed overseas.