Fans should see the Stormers’ Bok stars back in action when the team returns home after an URC opening-round result that showed boss John Dobson what is possible.
Siya Kolisi and Ntuthuko Mchunu will start Friday night’s clash in Edinburgh but Dobson resisted roping in the likes of Damian Willemse, Cobus Reinach and Deon Fourie after South Africa’s defeat by the Wallabies last week.
Sharks coach JP Pietersen has named six returning Springboks in his match 23 for Saturday’s encounter against Leinster, while the Lions’ Morné van den Berg and Quan Horn are set to face the Ospreys at Ellis Park.
Dobson, though, wanted to keep the Stormers’ touring group united after the bonus-point win over Connacht, and reintegrate his Boks for a run of four home games in the URC and Investec Champions Cup.
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“They’ve been through Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, been to three continents in a couple of weeks, with a lot of time up at altitude. I felt putting them on a plane to Edinburgh was not a good idea,” he said on Thursday.
“Siya wanted to come because he said the best way to connect with a team, since it’s a new team to him, is on tour.
“But the other guys, we booked off just to get them ready, let them rest and stay at home. We’ve got a lot more Springboks than we used to, so I don’t want this team to become disrupted.
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“We’re in a good space: we’ve prepared, we’ve played the All Blacks together, we’ve played a friendly against the Bulls and we’ve beaten Connacht together.
“We must do the job tomorrow ourselves, and then next week when they’ve freshened up, it will work well and they come back in.”
Dobson stressed that the Stormers have belief in Scotland after two weeks of preparation on 4G pitches abroad. He sees Edinburgh as similar to Connacht, though is acutely aware of a 38-7 defeat to the Scottish side in 2024.
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“I don’t think coming back from two matches with one win would be a big knock on our campaign, but it’s a big opportunity for us,” he added.
“If we get this right and go into four home games – I know one is a European game – we will be in a very good position, and we can start thinking about how we started last season.
“Last week has shown what the opportunity is for us tomorrow. We’ve got to take it.”
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
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Fans should see the Stormers’ Bok stars back in action when the team returns home after an URC opening-round result that showed boss John Dobson what is possible.
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