A former Stormers stalwart could make his Boland debut against his old teammates when the Cavaliers host the Stormers XXIII in round 2 of the Currie Cup on Sunday.
Loosehead prop Ali Vermaak, who made 92 Currie Cup appearances for Western Province, missed Boland’s opening-round win over the Bulls XV after suffering a concussion. However, Cavaliers backline coach Alshaun Bock expects the experienced front row powerhouse to be available for the Cape derby.
“I think it’ll be a big game for Ali against his old teammates,” Bock told Netwerk24.
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“We’re glad that he’s here with us. The tight phases are important to us. If our forwards can get us on the front foot, the backline players can get in the mix. Ali can help with that. Attacking rugby is in our DNA.”
Boland are also monitoring the fitness of fullback James Tedder, who lasted just seven minutes in Sunday’s 24-10 victory over the Bulls XV before limping off with a knee injury. Domenic Smit is expected to start if Tedder fails to recover in time.
The Stormers XXIII opened their campaign with a dramatic last-gasp win over defending champions Griquas, but Bock admits Boland are still unsure what to expect from their provincial rivals.
“The players are looking forward to the derby,” he said.
“We don’t know what to expect from the Stormers, so the focus has really just been on ourselves and on what we can do. We want to rectify the mistakes we made against the Bulls. Our tactical kicking can improve, and we need to put the Stormers under pressure.”
Photo: Steve Bardens/Getty Images for Barbarians
The post Ex-Stormer in rival camp for Cape derby appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
A former Stormers stalwart could make his Boland debut against his old teammates when the Cavaliers host the Stormers XXIII in round 2 of the Currie Cup on Sunday.
The post Ex-Stormer in rival camp for Cape derby appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
