Neethling Fouche has been entrusted with the responsibility of scrumming against Steven Kitshoff when the former DHL Stormers captains returns to Cape Town on Saturday. DYLAN JACK reports.
The DHL Stormers sprang a surprise by naming Fouche ahead of veteran Frans Malherbe at tighthead prop for the Vodacom URC clash with Ulster.
With Kitshoff set to anchor Ulster’s scrum when he returns to Cape Town Stadium for the first time since moving to Ireland, the Stormers were expected to match him against Malherbe, his long-time scrumming teammate.
However, Malherbe, who returned from a long-term injury in last weekend’s win over Edinburgh, will play off the bench.
“We made the decision a few weeks back,” assistant coach Dawie Snyman explained. “Frans played his first game after injury and we started him to manage his game time. This weekend, he is on the bench. Neething has done really well, so he deserves his start.
“It wasn’t about who are playing on Saturday. It’s part of Frans’ return to play plan. Whether it’s fortunate or unfortunate, I’m not too sure. They know each other really well. It was just about how we could manage Frans best, taking into account next week’s La Rochelle game.”
Snyman said that the Stormers are quite excited to have their former captain back, even if he will be in Ulster colours, rather than the blue-and-white jersey.
“Steve is quite a professional guy. I’m sure he’s going to just get along with his business. It’s great to have him back.
“We are always happy to welcome back guys who have played for the Stormers. He has been a big part of our squad and unit so it’s going to be nice to have him back.”
On the other side of the scrum, the Stormers have patched up their loosehead prop crisis by calling 25-year-old Leon Lyons back from a stint with the Griquas.
Lyons, who made his debut in 2020, will play his first Stormers game since November 2022 as a substitute.
“Leon has been doing great. He played a few warm-up games at Griquas, so he is up to match fitness,” Snyman explained.
“He knows our systems. He has been in our system for around two seasons now, so he understands how we do things.
“We probably would’ve gone with Salmaan if it didn’t work out,” Snyman joked. “No, we had Vernon [Matongo]. He’s a youngster who has come through at Maties. He was our next option.”
The other major change to the Stormers lineup sees Warrick Gelant return at fullback, after being rested to manage a long-term knee issue.
Gelant replaces Wandisile Simelane, who enjoyed a sensational first start last weekend.
“We had a plan building for these few games. We rested Warrick for medical reasons, to give him time to recover. It’s also about building our squad a bit,” Snyman said.
“Wandisile had a great game. We are stoked about that. But we’ve just decided that this is the right week to bring Warrick back in.”
Photo: EJ Langner/Gallo Images
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
