UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP
Leighton Koopman|Published
The Stormers are sweating over the fitness of captain Ruhan Nel, who picked up a calf strain, but if he is unavailable for a second consecutive week, Wandisile Simelane should be ready to step in at No 13 for the clash against the Scarlets.
The Cape side will resume their United Rugby Championship (URC) campaign following their runaway 49-12 victory over Bristol Bears in the Champions Cup this past weekend, and will welcome the Scarlets to DHL Stadium on Saturday afternoon (4pm kick-off).
While they have depended on their Springboks to boost their performances over the last two weeks, director of rugby John Dobson hinted that some could take a break this week as part of their Bok resting protocols.
Siya Kolisi, who has played in the last three matches since rejoining the Cape side, looks set to get a welcome breather, while Dobson must still decide whether both Damian Willemse and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu will miss this clash. Willemse will likely be the easiest to replace at fullback, but it is at flyhalf where the Stormers are a bit thin.
Dobson has been referring to a ‘critical plan’ they have set out for the season. It determines when players will play, when they are due for a rest, especially the Boks, and how many games in a row they will be available for selection.
“I think what’s important is that we stick to the critical path. In all four games, we selected our teams and stuck with our plans. Obviously, we’ve had to work with the players available, and as one of you guys wrote somewhere, there’s a ‘walk-or-die’ element to it. That’s a possibility,” Dobson said.
“We know we’ve got a big month ahead of us. We’ve got to give Wandi Simelane another run in the next two games, no question. You can always rely on Damian Willemse and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. We’ll stick to that path.
“At some stage, Sacha is going to need a break. Otherwise, we’re going to destroy him, given the Nations Championship and everything he’s been through this season. I think he had played 520 minutes before he came back to us, and now he’s put in two extraordinary performances, so he clearly needs a break.
“Probably the same applies to Damian. We’ve got a plan, and we’ll stick to it. I don’t think we’ve seen anything on Saturday that’s going to cause us to panic and say that, because one player is off next week and somebody else is off the following week, we need to change things.”
Should Dobson decide to switch things up for the Scarlets, he will again try to limit the changes to ensure the Stormers do not lose the cohesion they have built over the last couple of weeks. Wholesale changes could disrupt the side, while the Welsh outfit are expected to launch a strong challenge on Saturday.
The Stormers have won all seven of their previous games against the Scarlets and will look to maintain that dominance. They currently sit fourth in the URC standings, and another bonus-point victory should help keep them among the leading teams.