Stormers No 8 Evan Roos says he’s not viewing Saturday’s massive north-south derby against the Bulls in Cape Town as a Bok trial.
Roos has been in eye-catching form this season and has more times than not, been a big part of the Stormers’ forward dominance in the Vodacom URC and Investec Champions Cup. But the 25-year-old made just one Test appearance for the Boks this year, off the bench against Italy in Port Elizabeth.
He’s likely to be named in coach John Dobson’s starting XV once again, where he could potentially come up against fellow Springbok hopefuls Cameron Hanekom or Elrigh Louw. Quizzed on whether he sees these mini-battles as a way to prove a point, Roos was adamant that his only ambition is to help the Stormers win.
“If you go into a match with that kind of mentality, then it’s actually quite a selfish thing to do … for me personally I just want to do what the team requires of me this weekend.”
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The Stormers have made a perfect start to the season – winning seven out of seven in the URC as well as their opening two Champions Cup matches. Roos says it’s important that he and his teammates maintain the same standards on Saturday.
“Every team wants to do as well as they can in the URC. I think we stuck to what we wanted to do and did it well and the results have paid off so far. It’s now just up to us to keep on driving our own standards and trying to be better every game.”
That mindset will be tested against a Bulls side who thrive on physical confrontations, particularly when pride is on the line.
“It’s going to be physical obviously. It’s a north-south derby and South African players are always up for it. The guys always step up in an amazing way when these two sides play against each other. We’re excited, it’s going to be awesome and I’m happy to be part of it.”
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Despite his growing stature, Roos remains grounded and wary of complacency.
“Anyone can always be better. I think as soon as you think you’ve arrived, life humbles you quickly. So every day at training, I just try to get better, working on the small things.”
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
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