Stormers chief John Dobson is excited about the selection of the likes of Wandi Simelane for duty on Saturday, as part of building squad depth for the Vodacom URC playoffs.
Speaking in a team announcement conference on Friday, Dobson outlined his rotation strategy for the round 17 clash against Dragons at Cape Town Stadium.
He has rejigged the sixth-placed Stormers lineup from the thrashing of Benetton on 26 April, including centre Simelane and winger Ben Loader replacing Dan du Plessis and Leolin Zas respectively, while Vernon Matongo earns his first start at loosehead prop.
“God willing, we’re going to the playoffs and we need to have 28, 29 players ready,” Dobson said. “We didn’t want to disrespect the Dragons by choosing extra guys now but we can’t have, for example, a Wandi… let’s say we need to push on his button in the quarter-final.”
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“The logic is, Wandi did really well for us [earlier in the season], he got better over that spell he had. He’s a guy that might turn it on if you go up to Loftus or something in a playoff.
“Dan’s played a lot. He felt a hamstring in the game against Benetton. He’s fit but we also want Dan, with his body of work, absolutely fit come playoff time.
“It’s just about the management of players, and making sure we’ve got 28 people. You might see a guy like Sti Sithole coming in next week as part of it.
“It’s not like we’ve chosen a second team or risked players. Not one of these guys weakens the team. It’s largely the same team, largely the same tight five of the pack.”
The match marks a milestone for Damian Willemse, who becomes the 11th Stormers centurion and, at just 27, the youngest to achieve the feat in team history. His partnership with Simelane forms part of what Dobson hopes delivers a backline spectacle for spectators.
“Our plan was to put together a backline that the people of Cape Town would’ve love to come watch,” he said, though the full vision hasn’t materialised due to flyhalf Manie Libbok (knee) not being cleared to play yet.
“I know Manie’s not fit, but I don’t think if you go Sacha [Feinberg-Mngomezulu], Damian Willemse, Wandisile Simelane, Ben Loader, Seabelo Senatla, Warrick Gelant – that’s not going to be dishwater. That’s jet fuel as well.”
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Dobson’s rationale extends to the forwards, with Matongo’s elevation to starter status highlighting his rapid development.
“Ali [Vermaak] is probably our No 1 loosehead at the moment, but I can tell you that Matongo’s coming fast, coming hard,” the director of rugby said. “I wouldn’t say we’ve got lucky… probably pleasantly surprised with his progress, and really excited about this guy’s future. I think that’s going to be a big player in South African rugby.”
The bench also features potential debutant Zachary Porthen, whom Dobson describes as a special talent in progress.
“It’s a great opportunity for Zach. Zach’s a work in progress. His general game is absolutely phenomenal, he’s going to be a special player. He’s a leader… just obviously not tested at URC scrum level.”
Both Libbok and lock JD Schickerling are expected to return for next Friday’s clash against Cardiff, which will be the Stormers’ final home fixture of the regular season.
With their playoff position all but secured, Dobson’s focus now is maintaining performance standards while ensuring his squad is battle-ready for the knockout stages.
“Our challenge to our team this week is to keep the standards of the Benetton game. We’ll just divide things over the next two weeks to get to that 28, and that provides freshness.”
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
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