Captaincy in URC gives De Villiers chances to impress the Springboks

The Stormers team faces the need to balance within the United Rugby Championship (URC) tournament following their recent victory over Bristol Bears. The coaching staff is concerned about the condition of captain Ruhana Nel, who sustained a calf strain; if he cannot play in two consecutive matches, Wandisile Simelane will have to replace him at position No. 13 in the upcoming match against Scarlets.

The Cape Town-based team will resume its URC season after a convincing 49-12 win against Bristol Bears in the Champions Cup last weekend. On Saturday afternoon at 16:00, they will host the Scarlets team at the DHL Stadium.

Although the team has relied on its Springboks players for increased performance over the last two weeks, rugby director John Dobson hinted that some players might take a break this week in accordance with Bok rest protocols.

Siyakhuli Kolisi, who participated in the last three matches after returning to the Cape Town squad, appears set to receive a deserved rest. However, Dobson still needs to decide whether both Damian Willemse and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu will miss this match.

Willemse is likely the easiest to replace at fullback, but Stormers is experiencing a shortage of players specifically at flyhalf.

Dobson spoke of a 'critical plan' developed by the team for the season. This plan dictates when players will play, when they should rest, especially the Bok players, and how many games in a row they can be included in the squad.

Dobson stated: 'I think it is important to stick to the critical path. In all four games, we selected our squads and followed our plans. Obviously, we had to work with the available players, and as one of you wrote, there is an element of 'go or die'. It is an opportunity.'

He continued: 'We know we have a big month ahead. We must give Wandi Simelane another game in the next two matches, without a doubt. You can always count on Damian Willemse and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. We will stick to this path.'

Dobson emphasized the need for Sacha to rest: 'At some point, Sacha will need a break. Otherwise, we will destroy him, considering the World Cup and everything he has gone through this season. I think he played 520 minutes before returning to us, and now he has shown two outstanding games, so he clearly needs a break.'

He added that the same situation applies to Damian: 'Perhaps the same goes for Damian. We have a plan, and we will follow it. I don't think we will see anything on Saturday that will make us panic and say that [we need to change plans], because one player is absent next week, and someone else is absent the week after that, we need to change something.'

If Dobson decides to make changes to the squad before the match against Scarlets, he will try again to limit changes to maintain the cohesion that the Stormers team has built over the last couple of weeks. Although the Welsh team is expected to be a strong opponent on Saturday.

Stormers have won all seven previous encounters against Scarlets and aim to maintain this dominance. They are currently in fourth place in the URC table, and an additional win with bonus points will help them remain among the top teams.

The Stormers team hopes that Damian Willemse and other Springboks national team players can add confidence to their ambitions in the Champions Cup, similar to how they did last week in the United Rugby Championship (URC).

Following the victory in the Great Rivalry Series with a score of 3-1 over the All Blacks, players such as Willemse, Bok captain Siya Kolisi, midfielder Sacha Feinberg-Munegomezulu, versatile forwards Deon Fury and Paul de Villiers, and tighthead prop Wilko Lowe immediately had a positive impact on the team.

Now that Stormers are facing Bristol Bears in their debut Champions Cup match on Saturday at DHL Stadium (kick-off at 16:15), the team expects that the confidence gained from the confrontations with the All Blacks and Sharks will successfully translate to the European tournament.

Willemse was one of the Springboks players who actively participated in the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry matches, where the world champions triumphed over their strongest opponents in four matches, confirming their status as the best team in the world. The versatile defender believes that the experience of playing against the All Blacks over the month has given the players a valuable boost before returning to the club environment.

Willemse stated: 'It definitely gives you a lot of confidence. Not only in terms of wins, but also in playing at this level against some of the best players in the world in the All Blacks.' He continued: 'We did this for four weeks, so it definitely gives you a lot of momentum coming back to club rugby. I am happy with where we are now, and we aim to maintain this form because the next stretch of games in the coming weeks will be tough. After Bristol we have Scarlets, and then Ulster, who also play very good rugby.' He added: 'We want to maintain this momentum, keep playing good rugby, and get the results we need to climb the table.'

Stormers will also benefit from the presence of Feinberg-Munegomezulu, Lowe, de Villiers, Fury, and Kolisi. They all participated in the international campaign, with Lowe, Feinberg-Munegomezulu, and de Villiers making an appearance in the return match against the Sharks—their first outing of the season for Stormers.

The task now is to continue this duel with the Sharks and maintain the standards set in the last match. If the Cape Town team can do this, Bristol will face a serious challenge to win in the Mother City.

Stormers have built an ideal foundation in scrums and rucks, and the combination of the front line, consisting of tighthead Sazi Sandi, hooker J.J. Kotze, and loosehead Vernon Matongo, should meet expectations. Springbok Zacharie Potten is also preparing for a rare opportunity in the Stormers jersey if he comes on as substitute number 3. Lowe and teammate Bok tighthead Nitling Fosher are resting for this match.

The return of Bok player Evan Roos will provide reinforcement in the scrum's backline, but he too must live up to expectations after the strong performance of injured Hajime Jaimani in that position. It is an exciting combination of free players with Kolisi and de Villiers, and they will be ready for the physical battle with opponents.

Despite expected changes within the Stormers squad, the club management has decided against a radical lineup overhaul before the opening match of the European Champions Cup against Bristol Bears in Cape Town on Saturday. This decision follows previous issues the club faced due to overly frequent changes in formation.

Although some substitutions are anticipated, particularly in the front row, rugby director John Dobson is cautious about disrupting the cohesion of the team that was formed after winning the United Rugby Championship (URC) against Sharks last Saturday.

Stormers' primary objective is to advance from their group, which includes Bears, French giant Bordeaux-Bègles, Racing 92, and English club Gloucester. The team will travel to Bordeaux and Gloucester for two away games, making the match at DHL Stadium on Saturday highly significant as the starting fixture.

For Cape Town, this is a very challenging group stage, as they must balance a strong start in the URC with the necessity of qualifying for the Round of 16 of the elite European club competition. Consequently, the team composition over the coming months will be crucial.

Dobson emphasized that in the Champions Cup, the team needs to exit the group and secure a home game in the quarter-finals. He noted that while they won three out of four matches last year, they still played away against Exeter. Other teams that won one match out of four had a similar situation. Therefore, he stated that the team must beat Bristol, and he will select the best possible lineup to achieve this goal, without wishing to weaken the team even against Bordeaux.

Dobson is concerned about excessive player rotation this weekend after the team gained momentum with a 39-22 victory in the local derby. He hinted that tighthead props Sazi Sandi and Zachary Porten might replace Vilko Lou and Nitling Fushe. Lou and Fushe performed excellently in the scrum alongside loosehead props Ntutuko Mchunu and Vernon Matongo.

While Porten and Sandi could be ideal replacements, given the faster style of play of the Bears, it could lead to a loss of power in the scrum. Changes are also possible in the backline trio and in the defensive center. Siya Kolisi played two consecutive matches and could benefit from a rest, and the vacant number 7 position could go to Ben-Jason Dixon if he recovers sufficiently from concussion symptoms.

Dobson added that the team does not want to repeat the experience of Harlequins, who lost by 60 points away in the Champions Cup. He assured that Sazi and Zachary are likely to feature next Saturday, as this is a planned and critical path. He highly praised Sandi, noting that he is an excellent tighthead, fast in contact, and possesses fantastic overall play, stating that his participation will not weaken the team. He also reported that key players will participate throughout these four weeks, and they are aware of their schedule.