Living out his boyhood dream with a try on debut for the Stormers XXIII, hooker Vernon Paulo now has his sights set on playing a bigger role at the club.
The 25-year-old, who joined the Stormers at the start of 2026 from the Cheetahs, crashed over the whitewash in last week’s Currie Cup opening round win over Griquas at Cape Town Stadium.
Matriculating from Oakdale, the former NWU Eagles rake grew up idolising the Stormers, and is champing at the bit to make another big impact against the Boland Cavaliers in Wellington on Sunday.
“Since I was a boy growing up in the Western Cape, it’s been a dream of mine to play for the Stormers; most of my childhood my role models were in the Stormers team,” Paulo said.
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“When I got that call to join the team, it was just a dream come true, and now I’m living the dream and want to make the best of it.”
His try came from a well-worked Stormers set move, and Paulo was quick to credit those around him for the moment.
“I just want to make the jersey proud and the players and coaches that work with me proud, by being good at what I have to do.”
Known for his powerful ball-carrying and nose for the tryline, the 2023 Varsity Cup winner has also earned the nickname ‘Wardog’.
“It comes from my mobility on the field, always being available on attack or on defence,” he revealed. “I’m a running dog on the field and I think that’s where it benefits my game.
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“I’m not known [by that nickname] at the Stormers but previously, it was quite a memorable name at the Cheetahs.”
With Andre-Hugo Venter and JJ Kotze set to be tied up more with the Springboks in future, Paulo could play a key role in next season’s Vodacom URC and Investec Champions Cup campaigns.
“From my side, I need to be consistent and that means me working hard to be a selection option for the coaches,” he said.
“It’s about serving the team right now by playing the best of rugby I can, and if the call comes, I’ll be ready.”
His attention now turns to a tough battle against the Cavaliers at Boland Park, where the Stormers went down 54-26 in pre-season.
“We don’t want to be the type of team where others think it’s going to be an easy game. We want to play a brand of rugby where people are going to notice us for our physicality, defence and attack.
“Boland has a good forward pack so we have to pitch up better than we did last weekend,” he concluded.
Photo: @THESTORMERS/X
The post ‘Wardog’ ready to run with the pack appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Living out his boyhood dream with a try on debut for the Stormers XXIII, hooker Vernon Paulo now has his sights set on playing a bigger role at the club.
The post ‘Wardog’ ready to run with the pack appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
