No Stormers player will have a better idea of what he is up against in Friday night’s return to Vodacom United Rugby Championship action than fullback Clayton Blommetjies.
It was Scarlets that Blommetjies linked up with back in 2018, when he departed South African rugby feeling disillusioned after he felt he was ignored by the Springbok coaches. That after being given hope by the then Cheetahs coach and former Bok assistant Franco Smith, who told him he was playing well enough to be a Springbok by the end of 2017.
He didn’t stay long at the Welsh club, with the record reflecting that he played just six times for the team that was at the time playing as PRO14 champions, a time in which he scored one try. But he got enough out of the experience to know what the Stormers should be expecting at the DHL Stadium on Friday night (kick-off 7.30pm).
With several Welsh internationals in the back division, Blommetjies warns that the visitors could be lethal when they get the ball.
“They’ve got dangerous players like Gareth Davies the scrumhalf, and then you’ve got the 13, Jonathan Davies,” said Blommetjies in an online Stormers press conference this week.
“They’ve got a few internationals there, so we can look forward to some surprises with their plays. But we have worked hard on sorting our defence for Friday. We also know that there will be a lot of contestables and long kicks this weekend, so we as players will go out there to enjoy ourselves and carry out what we’ve worked on in training.”
Enjoyment is a big part of the Stormers culture, and Blommetjies says he’s had a new lease on life since coming to the Cape franchise from the Cheetahs, with a brief spell at Leicester Tigers having followed his sojourn in Llanelli. While he hasn’t been long in the Stormers system, he feels comfortable as the environment is one that he regards as home in more ways than one.
“To be honest, this is home. Everything started here, not at the Stormers, but Boland,” said the Paarl born and educated 32-year old.
“There, when I was a youngster, we got used to throwing the ball around and there isn’t a lot of kicking. Many of the guys have made me feel welcome, and so far, everything has gone well.”
According to the Stormers management, Blommetjies has struck up a close relationship with flyhalf Manie Libbok, both on the field and off it, which is important given how Libbok and Warrick Gelant dovetailed in the URC winning season of 2021/2022. Blommetjies is careful to avoid comparisons with Gelant, who he sees as a very different player, but he does make it clear that Libbok has been an inspiration.
Libbok’s rise from being a player the Sharks and Bulls never saw as a permanent fixture in their first choice team to becoming a Bok, has also been instrumental in changing Blommetjies’ attitude and resetting his goals.
Recalling an interview he did with Wales Online while he was at Scarlets, Libbok says he is older now and wiser and sees his comments, where he said “I don’t even think about wearing the green and gold anymore…” as rash.
“It’s everyone’s dream to wear the green and gold and sometimes you make mistakes. But you learn from it. I am one of those guys who made a mistake when I was younger and said stuff, but the older you get the wiser you get. For me, it’s just about getting better and to do everything the coaches ask of me. If I can do that well, my chances of wearing the green and gold someday is good. I am very happy for Manie as he is one of my big pals at the Stormers.”
Being into his fourth decade of life, time isn’t on Blommetjies’ side if he wants to play for the Boks, but so far he has certainly shown the potential to be another of the several players who have flourished under the influence of John Dobson’s coaching team. The irrepressible Gelant hasn’t so far been missed by a Stormers team that has started out their defence of the URC title solidly enough and are comfortably in the top four on the log with a game in hand on teams around them.
“Warrick and I are different players. Many people said he left a hole here, but until today, I don’t think that hole is big, I think it is getting smaller. I try to do my best and improve in every game, and to keep the coaches happy by doing my job there at the back.”