UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP
Leighton Koopman|Published
Following his two-try heroics on Saturday afternoon that saved the Stormers from a potential draw with Scarlets, young flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed is set to take the No 10 jersey against Ulster on Saturday afternoon.
Ahmed scored the brace that sealed a thrilling 52-40 win over the Welsh side, and with Springbok No 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu set for a deserved rest ahead of the November internationals, Ahmed will steer the ship at DHL Stadium.
The Stormers were left counting the cost of injuries to key hookers ahead of the clash, while their loose forward stocks also took a knock. That will likely force director of rugby John Dobson into further player rotations as they look to stay unbeaten at home in the United Rugby Championship (URC).
Dobson said after the Scarlets victory that they would look to give Feinberg-Mngomezulu a rest after he put in another strong display. The 20-year-old Ahmed hasn’t had many opportunities yet, but apart from the Bok flyhalf, he is the only other fit pivot. Jurie Matthee is set to return after the international break.
“We have to possibly give someone like Sacha a break,” Dobson said about his first-choice flyhalf. Since rejoining from the Springboks, Feinberg-Mngomezulu has been a mainstay in the No 10 jersey.
That should open the door for Ahmed, who has had two tough URC clashes under his belt against Edinburgh and Scarlets. He found himself back in the team this past weekend after missing back-to-back home games and embraced the challenge.
Now, though, he is set to carry the flyhalf torch on his own, but the youngster is ready to embrace that challenge.
“I’m just happy and grateful to be back in the team and to get those last 20 minutes,” Ahmed said about his performance against Scarlets.
“Obviously, it was quite tough with Sea (Seabelo Senatla) going off, so I thought I needed to stand up as a youngster and help manage the game. Those last 20 minutes were really tough, especially with all the injuries happening, but I’m just glad I got the opportunity to play and do my thing.
“There’s nothing better than playing for the Stormers at DHL Stadium. Having those voices in my ear, like Sacha when I came on, makes such a big difference to my decision-making. I think we pulled through in those last few minutes. Now it’s about looking ahead to the next game, reviewing this performance and seeing where we can get better.”
For Ahmed, it’s not just about having those influential voices on the field, but off it as well, especially during training.
He added that he had taken on board plenty of information from players such as Feinberg-Mngomezulu, utility back Damian Willemse and scrumhalf Cobus Reinach since they returned from Springbok duty.
“I think it’s a privilege to have the Springboks in the setup because, as a youngster, you’re so eager to learn from them and what they bring from being with the Boks. Whatever information I can get and use, whether it’s from Sacha or Damian, I’ll take it with both hands because I know it will help me improve in the future.
“They help you so much and take the time to invest in you.”