INSIDE centre Dan du Plessis will lead the Stormers on their three-match United Rugby Championship (URC) tour in Europe due to the absence of Springboks Salmaan Moerat and Steven Kitshoff.
The inaugural URC winners start their bid for a second title on Saturday (8.35pm kick-off) against the Ospreys in Swansea in round two of the competition.
Moerat is still on Bok duty, and unlike loose forward Ben-Jason Dixon, who will join the Cape side in Wales today, he was not released by the national side yesterday, although he is not playing against Argentina in the Rugby Championship finale on Saturday in Mbombela.
Kitshoff sustained another long-term injury, this time in his neck, and will be assessed later this year before a decision will be made about his possible return.
😮💨 We've scored some absolute beauties against the Ospreys and will be looking to add a few more this weekend in our first game of the new @Vodacom #URC season. #iamastormer #dhldelivers pic.twitter.com/AGczofLgRG
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) September 25, 2024
Stormers assistant coach Dawie Snyman confirmed yesterday that Du Plessis will lead the team in the interim as they look forward to continuing their battle with the Welsh outfit, who came to Cape Town last season to beat them in a crucial tie.
The Stormers are out to repay the favour and haven’t beaten the Ospreys at home.
But they will be desperate for a good start to the season away from their Cape Town Stadium fortress after losing all four tour games early last season.
“We have taken notes out of last season,” Snyman said.
“That first tour didn’t go so well, and we were chasing our tails for the rest of the season, and it put us under pressure.
“It will be important to start well, but we are also expecting one or two things not to be perfect. But there is excitement to get onto the pitch to see where we are at and where we are going.
“It’s the start of the season, and we are not going to look past ourselves. We want to build our game and build momentum. But results will be important.”
Our 29-man squad for a three-match @Vodacom #URC tour up north.
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) September 24, 2024
ℹ️ All the details https://t.co/WBNV0hwyFH#iamastormer #dhldelivers pic.twitter.com/mLxfpMqrCJ
Springbok star Damian Willemse should be back into the starting team, which will be announced tomorrow, and he is set to wear the No 10 jersey in the absence of Manie Libbok, who will be at flyhalf against Argentina on Saturday, and the injured Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
It will be Willemse’s first match back since a finger injury sidelined him earlier this year, and after missing all of the Tests so far in 2024, he will be keen to get going to put his hand up for the Springboks’ November matches in Europe.
But he will first have the big task of getting the Stormers’ attack going on this three-match tour.