Stormers will resume their La Rochelle rivalry with Boks back

The DHL Stormers have returned from their highly successful two-match tour with confidence and momentum plus a couple of key players returning to the selection mix for Saturday’s second Investec Champions Cup group game against La Rochelle in Gqeberha.

After playing two epic games against the then European champions two years ago, with both teams taking turns to have the game decided in their favour off the last move, the Stormers know what to expect.

La Rochelle are hard, physical and huge and John Dobson’s charges will also not have forgotten how physical another French club, Toulon, were when they played them at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium last December.

However, unlike in the two previous seasons, the Stormers will be going into the game with the momentum that has been created by being unbeaten in a season which so far has comprised six Vodacom United Rugby Championship games as well as their Champions Cup opener away to Bayonne this past weekend.

The Stormers won two huge games on tour, starting with the come-from-behind win over Munster in Limerick, so they have reason to feel confident, and they will be welcoming more than just three key Springboks who have now had a down week after ending their five match overseas tour in the last weekend of November.

Ben-Jason Dixon, Ntuthuko Mchunu and Zachary Porthen were all up for selection in Bayonne, with Porthen the only one of those three to sit out the match, and this week they will be joined by Bok first choices Damian Willemse, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Cobus Reinach, all of whom were involved in the big win with which the Boks ended off the 2025 international season.

Boks returning have arguably robbed the Vodacom Bulls and Hollywoodbets Sharks of some cohesion when they return straight to the starting team, but forwards coach Rito Hlungwani doesn’t believe that will be the case with the Stormers.

“They’ve always been part of our system, even when they are not here as they are in our huddles and our technical groups online and see everything we do, on and off the field,” said Hlungwani.

“They fully understand how we want to play. So when they come back, they’re not disrupting anything. They just slot in.”

HEALTHY COMPETITION FOR PLACES

However Hlungwani added that at the Stormers it is not just a case of automatically claiming your spot in the team because a healthy competition has developed within the playing group.

“We want an environment where people compete for positions. As much as the Boks are aligned, they know someone here wants their jersey, in a positive way. No one relaxes because they’re a Springbok. You have to produce. The guy who held that position when they were away on tour wants to play just as badly as they do and they know it. We’re happy to have them back and we don’t see it as a disruption or as a negative thing in terms of the cohesion that we have built with the guys who were not with the Boks.”

A player who isn’t a Bok yet but who could be one sooner rather than later if he remains injury free is the exciting young Suleiman Hartzenberg, who has yet to play this season but is back in training.

“Suleiman is with us and he will be available for selection for this game,” said Hlungwani.

Hartzenberg’s return was telegraphed for this week quite a while ago by another Stormers assistant coach Dawie Snyman, and it will be interesting to see if he slots straight into the starting team or plays off the bench.

With the product of Bishops also eager to play outside centre as soon as it is possible for him to do so, for that is his preferred position, it will also be interesting to see which Stormers jersey he does fit into in Gqeberha.

The Stormers have some depth in that position now as Ruhan Nel is back from the injury that kept him out for much of last season and playing well, but has played quite a bit of his recent rugby at inside centre, where he has been effective.

Assuming Warrick Gelant is over the injury that prevented him from playing at fullback against Bayonne, however, Nel is likely to play at outside centre.

Wandisile Simelane was selected to play there last week but had to move to fullback for Gelant, with Jonathan Roche wearing the No 13 in the game and no doubt benefitting from the experience of winning in France.

It is the depth that has been created at forward that has been the most impressive feature of the Stormers’ season but a bit of mixing and matching in emergency situations is also giving Dobson options at the back.

Dylan Maart was unfortunate to give away a try off a charge down during the time when the Stormers lost a bit of their composure when down to 14 men following the Adre Smith red card, but the Griquas wing has looked the part in his first few games at this level.

Suleiman though will challenge strongly for the starting wing position provided he is not needed in the midfield against La Rochelle.