The stage is set for the return of Dillyn Leyds and Raymond Rhule, as the DHL Stormers host La Rochelle in a crunch Champions Cup clash at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.

For Leyds, a maestro of the backfield, and Rhule, the embodiment of blistering pace, the journey back to Cape Town is more than just a reunion; it’s a testament to their evolution as players since donning the blue and white stripes.

The Stormers and La Rochelle lock horns in a replay of their 16 December meeting at the same venue, won by the Capetonians who earned the right to host a last-16 tie for the second successive season after finishing second in Pool 4.

Leyds and Rhule’s wizardry in the middle of the park and down the wide channels will be key as Ronan O’Gara’s men seek to defend their European crown, with the Springbok flyers having been a cornerstone of the French outfit’s back-to-back title triumphs.

Leyds, who earned the last of his 10 Test caps for the Boks in 2019, is a talented playmaker consistently fielded at fullback and wing by La Rochelle.

A supremely skilful player with pace, vision and quick feet, the 31-year-old – alongside Rhule – has been a mainstay for the French outfit in the Top 14 and was integral to the 2021-22 and 2022-23 Champions Cup-winning campaigns.

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An incisive attacking threat in a team that produced many a memorable try, Leyds can also be trusted under the high ball as well as put the boot in and he works bravely on defence.

After making his debut for Western Province in 2013, Leyds enjoyed a brief stint in Australia with Super Rugby’s Western Force in 2014 before returning to the Republic and making his first appearance for the Stormers a year later.

A schoolboy prodigy from the renowned Bishops in Cape Town, the Somerset West-born player scored 21 tries in 65 appearances with the Stormers, yet his seven-year spell is arguably best encapsulated by his audacious no-look offload to SP Marais in a 2017 Super Rugby win over the Chiefs at Newlands.

Rhule, who like Leyds can play centre, wing and fullback, has similarly proved to be an invaluable asset, the accra-born speedster clocked 35km/h by French broadcasters during a game, as quick as France’s World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe.

His six-Test Bok career started and finished in 2017, with only a solitary try against Argentina to show for his efforts, before making his final appearance in South Africa’s record defeat to the All Blacks.

The 31-year-old moved to the Stormers from the Cheetahs in 2018, making 15 appearances before joining La Rochelle in 2020 after a stint with Grenoble.

Cape fans will be frothing at the mouth to see Leyds and Rhule in action again ,and while memories of Leyds’ no-look offload and Rhule’s lightning-fast sprints still linger, Saturday’s clash promises a fresh chapter in their storied careers.

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Src: sarugbymag.co.za