DHL Stormers forwards coach Rito Hlungwani says he has struggled to hide his smile from people over the past week, and he reckons he has good reason.
The smile started when it was first confirmed that Ruben van Heerden had signed on the dotted line, and been released by Exeter Chiefs, to help the Cape team out of a hole that they had found themselves at lock due to freaky spate of injuries to players in that position.
With Salmaan Moerat out for the rest of the season, Ernst van Rhyn for much of it and Adre Smith also on the sidelines for the rest of the 2022/23 term, plus Gary Porter currently still out with a rib injury, the engine room was an area of concern for the Stormers.
Promising and talented youngsters like Connor Evans and Ben-Jason Dixon have made great use of their opportunities, but with Springbok lock Marvin Orie set to go into an extended rest after Friday night’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash with Ulster in Belfast, there was a desperate shortage of experience.
Van Heerden has answered that call and as Hlungwani notes, although the former Vodacom Bulls, Cell C Sharks and now Exeter Chiefs lock is still just 25, he is hardly a new and untried cab coming off the rank.
“I am trying hard to hide my smile, it is always nice to have a new lock in the system,” said Hlungwani from Belfast.
“That is particularly the case when the new player is a player of quality and who stands two metres tall and weighs in at around 120 kilograms. Ruben has played for the Sharks, the Bulls and for Exeter so he has massive experience. From a coaching perspective, I spoke to him on the phone last week. We had a chat about expectations, both ours and his, and he appears to be a humble and good guy and I am excited to work with him.”
EVANS GROWING IN LEAPS AND BOUNDS
Van Heerden has linked up with his new teammates in Belfast and is expected to play a role on Friday night, either in the starting team or off the bench. At least that is the impression that Hlungwani gives.
“There is an expectation that he will be able to fill in at both No4 and No5, depending where he is required. The priority for him now is just to get comfortable with our systems as quickly as possible and prove what a good player he is,” said the forwards coach.
With Orie in the mix this week, Van Heerden won’t be calling the lineouts, but depending on the timing of Porter’s comeback from injury - he is apparently close to playing again - he may be required to do that quite soon.
According to Hlungwani though there’d be an expectation for him to train the calling of the lineouts regardless of whether he is used as a No4 or a No5.
“I always encourage our No4s and indeed our No7s (blindside flanks) to be comfortable with calling. You want room to be able to substitute your No5 when you can. I always encourage all my locks to get used to calling the lineout and that is part of Ruben’s brief. He has done it for the Sharks and for Exeter so sometime in the next few weeks you can expect him to be calling for us.”
In the meantime the 20-year-old Evans has been growing in leaps and bounds with the match time he has been offered during the current lock mini-crisis, and while he has played most of his recent rugby alongside Orie (he did lead the lineout towards the end of the Scarlets game), he is doing well as a lineout caller when the Stormers train lineouts against each other.
“Connor has done pretty well. If you think about it, he is 20 turning 21 and he is already playing in the Champions Cup and in the recent game against London Irish he was up against a player who has 50 international caps. He understands how preparation works and has taken some big steps. He had a high work rate in the first half last week (against Clermont-Auvergne) with several carries.”
The Stormers team for Friday night’s game will be named on Thursday.