‘He Can Be A Beast’ – Dobson
Ruhan Nel will make a welcome return from injury to captain the DHL Stormers in their Vodacom URC quarter-final against Cardiff at DHL Stadium on Saturday.
He is joined by experienced backs Seabelo Senatla and Dan du Plessis in the only changes to the starting XV for the knockout clash, which kicks off at 15:30.
Nel and Du Plessis will make their 30th start together in midfield, drawing level with De Wet Barry and Marius Joubert as the DHL Stormers’ most-capped centre pairing.
The electric Senatla returns straight to the right wing after an injury-ravaged campaign, while the starting forward pack remains unchanged from the final match of the regular season.
Players returning from lengthy layoffs often require time to adjust to the intensity and pace of match action again. However, director of rugby John Dobson has no concerns about Senatla’s ability to make an immediate impact.
“I have zero doubts about Seabelo. He is a supreme athlete and is always fit and ready,” said Dobson. “It’s his physicality, his toughness, and the way he covers ground. There was a temptation, with the backs coming back in, to go for a 5-3 split on the bench.”
Props Vernon Matongo and Zachary Porthen come onto the replacements bench alongside utility forward Ruan Ackermann, who also returns from injury.
“The bigger concern is Ruan. If a loose forward went down early, asking Ruan — who is a big, physical player — to go 77 minutes in his first game back after not playing since 3 January would be impossible. We needed extra loose-forward cover on the bench,” Dobson explained.
“We have Marcel there to help manage Ruan’s workload. He is not ready for 80 minutes yet, but for half an hour he can be a beast.”
JJ Kotze, Salmaan Moerat, and Marcel Theunissen complete the forward contingent among the replacements, while Stefan Ungerer and Jurie Matthee provide backline cover in a 6-2 split.
While Dobson toyed with the idea of opting for a 5-3 split, he acknowledged that a 6-2 bench always carries the risk of an early backline injury. However, the director of rugby is satisfied that the current combination provides enough versatility and cover to reshuffle personnel if required.
“Damian can play everywhere, Imad is very comfortable on the wing, Jurie can slot in at 10, and Sacha can cover across the backline.”
Dobson added that his team is determined to make the most of home advantage.
“We enjoy incredible support at DHL Stadium, and we know that this will be another memorable occasion as knockout rugby returns to Cape Town.
“We have some key players returning, which makes this one of the most experienced DHL Stormers teams that we have ever selected.
“We have earned this opportunity to play a quarter-final in front of our fans, and we want to make it count,” he said.
DHL Stormers: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel (captain), 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Imad Khan, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Ruben van Heerden, 4 Adré Smith, 3 Neethling Fouché, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu
Replacements: 16 JJ Kotzé, 17 Vernon Matongo, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Salmaan Moerat, 20 Ruan Ackermann, 21 Marcel Theunissen, 22 Stefan Ungerer, 23 Jurie Matthee
