Januarie ready to rumble

It might be February already, but it certainly is time for Ricky Januarie to shine.

It might be February already, but it certainly is time for Ricky Januarie to shine.

And the recent Stormers recruit is champing at the bit to perform for his new team, and feels in tip-top shape for the season ahead.

“I feel that I want to train,” enthused the live-wire scrumhalf.

“I feel I've got to be fit, I feel I've got to be up for games.”

Januarie's weight seemed to become a problem in the past, and the former Lions player revealed that he sometimes struggled to stay motivated while he was on the sidelines for some parts of last year, due to loss of form and injury.

“It's not that you are not fit, or not doing fitness and running around, but if you don't play, you get the feeling that there is no point in doing fitness [training].

“I've played two, three warm-up games now for the Stormers and I feel that has benefitted my game. This was probably my weakness last year – I didn't get enough playing time on the field.”

Januarie was bullish on the prospect of facing Bulls and Springbok stalwart Fourie du Preez.

“It's always nice to play against probably the best in the world.

“You just have to do your best to let him know that you're there, you know. It's important for me to do my own job on the field.”

The Hopefield-born scrumhalf also revealed that he was enjoying a healthy rivalry with Stormers teammate Bolla Conradie.

“Me and Bolla, we came a long way,” he said.

“It's a healthy competition, and it's always nice to know there's someone there trying to get that spot from you.

“It only pushes you harder. We both want to play all the time, but that's impossible.”

By Phil Coetzer