DHL Stormers coach John Dobson has emphasised how seriously his team are taking their Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash with competition front-runners Leinster by selecting what looks to be his strongest available team.
Regular outside centre Ruhan Nel has remained behind in Cape Town but otherwise it is hard to pinpoint a fit Stormers player who could possibly replace the players who have been called up for Friday night’s match at the RDS Arena. Dobson has called up all four of his Springboks who have now completed their national resting protocols and all of them start: centre Damian Willemse, lock Marvin Orie, tighthead prop Frans Malherbe and loosehead prop and team captain Steven Kitshoff.
Evan Roos, who wore the Bok No 8 in the last test match of 2022 at Twickenham, is still out injured, but Hacjivah Dayimani is also back for the first time since early January after recovering from a hamstring injury and proving his fitness in Western Province’s good win last weekend against the Bulls in the Currie Cup.
Salmaan Moerat is of course out for the season, and Leolin Zas is due back on the field shortly, otherwise it is a full strength Stormers team. Not that the Stormers necessarily differentiate between first and second choice or full and under-strength these days as the player depth has been spread so impressively that whoever plays normally just fits seamlessly into the system.
And with former Cell C Sharks lock Ruben van Heerden having made such an impressive start to what could become an extended career at the Stormers and WP, the franchise is certainly not short of locks, particularly with Adre Smith also heading back towards fitness.
An indication of the depth that Dobson has available is the relegation of Marcel Theunissen, the man of the match in the URC win over the Bulls at Loftus a month ago, to the bench. The bench has reverted to the Bomb Squad six/two split between forwards and backs, with the presence of Willemse in the starting team and Jean-Luc du Plessis’ experience of playing centre in the Currie Cup, plus scrumhalf Paul de Wet’s ability to double as a wing, making it a relatively easy choice to make.
There might be some surprise that Willemse finds himself at inside centre rather than fullback in this game but that was telegraphed when Clayton Blommetjies was named in the traveling group and Nel was omitted. Du Plessis is primarily and inside centre but has done well enough at outside centre when used there for him to be entrusted with that role.
Although the team is strong on paper, Dobson is realistic about his team’s prospects given that some of the players haven’t played URC in a while and might need some time to shake off the inevitable rust that comes with a break from playing.
“It is great to have these Boks back in the mix this week, and we are looking forward to seeing what they will bring in a tough game away from home,” said Dobson.
“It has been some time since some of these players featured in a Stormers team so hopefully the game time they get here will stand them in good stead as we head towards the end of the season.”
DHL STORMERS TEAM: Clayton Blommetjies, Sulieman Hartzenberg, Dan du Plessis, Damian Willemse, Seabelo Senatla, Manie Libbok, Paul de Wet, Hacjivah Dayimani, Ben-Jason Dixon, Deon Fourie, Marvin Orie, Ruben van Heerden, Frans Malherbe, Joseph Dweba, Steven Kitshoff (captain). Replacements: JJ Kotze, Brok Harris, Neethling Fouche, Ernst van Rhyn, Willie Engelbrecht, Marcel Theunissen, Herschel Jantjies, Jean-Luc du Plessis.