Springboks’ return has ‘risen the temperature’ for the Stormers ahead of North-South derby

The Stormers are delighted to have their Springboks superstars returning this weekend for the highly-anticipated North-South derby against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.

Rugby World Cup winners Damian Willemse, Manie Libbok and Deon Fourie all return for the massive derby after a mandatory rest period while powerhouse prop Frans Malherbe is set to make his comeback from injury in Pretoria. Also completing his return from injury is club captain Salmaan Moerat who came off the bench last time out.

Synergy and cohesion needed

It is all well and good to have their stars back but the Stormers know that means little if the influential players do not hit the ground running, especially at a nearly full Loftus.

Forwards coach Rito Hlungwani is excited to have the Springboks back but admits there’s going to be some selection headaches.

“We are very happy to have the Springboks back. We just have to get our cohesion right. That’s continuous improvement, that’s something we want to improve: finding each other better. That’s the one thing we are working hard on,” Hlungwani said.

“It’s a good problem to have, and at the same time it is tough to leave out certain guys. There are lots of positions that are highly competitive, but it is a good problem to have.

“The level of competition in our team is quite pleasing, so it’s really nice to have Frans back – highly experienced, probably one of the best tightheads in the world.

“That will definitely improve our environment, and push Neetas (Neethling Fouché) to improve even more. Whether he (Malherbe) starts or whether he’s on the bench, he will have a role to play, and so will Neethling.

“We’ve also got a few youngsters back in Sazi Sandi and Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, so it’s been a fight at training for everyone to prove themselves.

“It’s very tough (at lock as well) because Ruben (van Heerden) and Adré (Smith) have been doing really well. But we also know the level and standards that Salmaan brings to the table.

“Having Salmaan back has just risen the temperature a bit more, and hopefully that will help us get a little bit more out of Adré and Ruben, and also get him to chase hard again to get his position back.”

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Playmaker conundrum

Another area of selection discussion with Libbok, Willemse, Warrick Gelant and Sacha Feinburg-Mngomezulu all available is how to fit as many playmakers in whilst maintaining the balance.

Libbok is pretty much dead set at 10 and Willemse will start but will he run out at full-back to make space for the prodigious Feinburg-Mngomezulu at centre or will Gelant’s return to form see Willemse wear 12 to open up full-back for the flashy speedster? There certainly are options aplenty within the Stormers camp.

Classic derby

In recent seasons, the Stormers have been dominant against the Bulls winning the last seven in a row but Hlungwani refused to get carried away and underlined the quality their bitter rivals have.

“The history that everyone talks about is not something we’ve discussed – that’s for social media. We are well aware that they are a very strong team,” said Hlungwani.

“They are above us on the log, and have the most players invited to the alignment camp. They have lots of Springboks in their team.

“They have a highly experienced coaching staff – Jake White has won the World Cup, Gary Gold has coached at the Springboks… Very experienced group of individuals, experienced team.

“It’s going to be tough, and we are not taking them lightly… and giving them all the respect they deserve.

“We would be naive to think that we will get exactly the same Bulls team as before, so it will be a different challenge.

“We want to play the best brand we can play, and that’s something that we are consistently looking to improve.

“In the adversity of the tour losses, we learnt some good lessons and have been able to grind things out when we have to.

“We need to continuously find that improvement. Even when we are winning, that same energy, hunger and desperation that we felt when we came back from the tour, we need to maintain that desperation – that’s extremely important to us.”

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