The Stormers XXIII will reintegrate their star Junior Springboks next week, as Tom Dawson-Squibb backs playmakers Dominic Malgas and Kian Davis to seize their chance on Sunday.
The club is set to be boosted by 10 returning Junior Boks following their title defence at the Junior World Championship in Georgia, including flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed and centre Markus Muller.
Dawson-Squibb, though, said the group will need time before featuring in the Currie Cup.
“The U20 guys were given off this week. They’ve come in and done medicals, and then they’ll start to integrate next week,” the head coach told reporters on Thursday.
“My sense is Yaqeen will probably be in the URC group for now.”
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Attention this week turns to the Cape derby against the Boland Cavaliers in Wellington, with Malgas taking over the No 10 jersey from the injured Jean-Luc du Plessis.
Malgas slotted two conversions and a penalty on debut off the bench in last Friday’s round-one win over Griquas in Cape Town.
“I remember going to Dom in my second week of training and I said, ‘I love the way you control training, I love the way you talk to the team’. That’s obviously a massive part of what a 10 needs to do in this team,” Dawson-Squibb said.
“We all miss JL; he’s a fantastic leader and player. But I think Dom’s got a huge amount of potential. If you were to survey the players, they would tell you the same thing. They have a massive trust in Dom.”
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Davis, a Rondebosch Boys’ alum and UCT Ikeys utility back, is poised to make his Currie Cup debut, and Dawson-Squibb couldn’t be prouder.
“Five weeks ago he wouldn’t have been in the plans … he’s trained in all positions, which is the reason we’ve selected him,” he said.
“He’s trained at 10, 12, 13, 15, could even have him at wing if need be, and when you go 6-2, which we do, that’s important.”
“It’s also a massive fillip for the club system. We don’t want people in the club system to get left behind or feel detached from the Stormers.”
With just one enforced change to the starting XV, Dawson-Squibb explained the thinking behind keeping his side largely settled.
“There’s a great hunger to go and do something really special at Boland on Sunday. And while rugby’s a difficult game because everyone wants to play, I have a sense that the right thing to do was pick a similar or the same team as we could.
“And every time we run out into the field, I don’t think it’s 23 people playing. I think it’s 38 that are part of our squad.”
Photo: Cole Cruickshank/Gallo Images
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