Stormers coach John Dobson says the short turnaround between the Dragons and Edinburgh games played a big role in freshening up the Stormers pack. LINDIZ VAN ZILLA reports.
There is an all-new front row for Saturday’s Vodacom URC match at Cape Town Stadium in Sazi Sandi, André-Hugo Venter and Ntuthuko Mchunu, while Ben-Jason Dixon and Paul de Villiers come in for Marcel Theunissen and Deon Fourie respectively in the back row.
“The five-day turnaround was a challenge. We wanted to freshen up the pack,” Dobson said, before admitting that lack of cover at lock was a major concern.
“With Salmaan [Moerat] and Ruben [van Heerden] out, we don’t have the same depth. We’re probably red-lining one or two guys in JD [Schickerling] and Adré [Smith] a little bit.”
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There is some relief on the horizon, with Van Heerden “about a week away” from a return to action.
“That will help us a lot,” said Dobson.
One of the headline selection calls is the return of De Villiers to the starting XV at Fourie’s expense. Dobson was full of praise for the Springbok veteran who only recently returned to action after a lengthy lay-off due to a torn bicep.
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“Deon is just a freak – on and off the field,” he said. “What he’s done in the last two games has been unbelievable.
“But Paul is the future. That’s Project 2029. If we’re serious about that, he has to start games.
“He keeps winning our internal Man of the Match votes,” he said. “We can’t forget that body of work.”
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Prop Sazi Sandi also earns a starting role in his milestone 50th match, in line with a clear Stormers policy.
“If a player is playing his 50th or 100th game, he starts,” Dobson explained. “He deserves to run out first.”
Dobson described Sandi as “one of the unsung heroes” and backed him to rise to the challenge against a powerful Edinburgh front row.
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“That’s going to be a proper battle,” he said. “There’s a lot of respect there, but it will be really nice for Sazi.”
“We’re expecting a hell of an arm wrestle.”
Photo: Gallo Images
The post Dobbo: Stormers red-lining locks appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Stormers coach John Dobson says the short turnaround between the Dragons and Edinburgh games played a big role in freshening up the Stormers pack.
The post Dobbo: Stormers red-lining locks appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
