Stormers coach John Dobson has urged patience with Lleyton Davids, warning that the speedster needs time to adapt to the demands of professional rugby despite his remarkable rise from club rugby.
Davids earned his first professional contract after scoring 31 tries in 19 matches for Robertson Town this season, before catching the Stormers’ attention during pre-season.
The 25-year-old, a three-time former South African senior triple jump champion who can run the 100m in 10.3 seconds, made an immediate impression in a URC warm-up clash against the Bulls in Paarl.
He rounded Bulls flyer Thaakir Abrahams before racing down the touchline to score a try that went viral on social media.
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However, Dobson says Davids is still adapting to the physical demands of rugby, having played the sport for only two years.
“Lleyton will get his opportunity when he’s fit and when he’s training. He’s got shin splints,” Dobson said ahead of Saturday’s URC clash against the Scarlets at Cape Town Stadium.
“I think what is absolutely missed by everybody is the fact that this guy’s only been playing rugby for two years, he’s only played club rugby and to ask that body – no matter what he sprinted in Dubai – to handle the rugby training load is an impossibility.
“It’s going to take us a while to get his body ready. He’s tracking superbly and we are super excited. His body can’t cope with our load at the moment.”
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While Davids continues his adaptation to the professional game, the Stormers will turn their attention to a Scarlets side Dobson says has made a strong start to the season.
The Welsh side beat Benetton in the URC before dismantling Newcastle in the EPCR Challenge Cup, and will pose a particular challenge with their kicking game.
“Their style of rugby goes back to their DNA, the old Llanelli days of Phil Bennett and Barry John and when they won the Pro 12 playing a sort of ’total rugby’ is what they’ve always been proud of,” Dobson said.
“They’re leading the URC in terms of kicking metres and the kick battles, so we have to be very accurate with our kick cycles.
“It’s a bit like us a few years ago when we kicked to create that chaos and space for us. They’ve made a positive start. They beat a fully-loaded Benetton side then the next week thrashed Newcastle.”
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Photo: Cole Cruickshank/Gallo Images
The post Dobbo on Robertson Express: His body can’t cope appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Stormers coach John Dobson has urged patience with Lleyton Davids, warning that the speedster needs time to adapt to the demands of professional rugby despite his remarkable rise from club rugby.
The post Dobbo on Robertson Express: His body can’t cope appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
