Leyds at 15 and Vermaak at 9 could help Stormers
Players returning from injury will add great edge to Cape side in derby
WITH A few players returning from injury, how will Stormers coach Robbie Fleck’s backline look against the Bulls on Saturday?
With Dillyn Leyds and JJ Engelbrecht returning from one-week injury lay-offs and Jano Vermaak set to make his return from a longer injury break, the Stormers will certainly get a good boost as they prepare for their trip to Loftus.
In the build-up to their home game against the Reds at the weekend, the Stormers were without Leyds, who struggled with a calf injury, and Engelbrecht, who was a late withdrawal from the game against the Australians as he suffered a haematoma to his quadricep muscle.
Their absence gave Craig Barry and George Whitehead an opportunity to start for the Stormers, and following their win at Newlands, Fleck was confident that the trio of Leyds, Engelbrecht and Vermaak would be fit for the North-South derby.
While getting those players back is of course a big boost, Fleck can also feel pleased with how the stand-in players went against the Reds.
Craig Barry was massive in that game. His work rate was big and he also complimented the Stormers’ attack really well, and that perfect grubber in Reds 22 that was scooped up by Raymond Rhule and placed for the try was the ultimate reward for his contributions.
Leyds will most likely return to the runon side at fullback – and if you look at the form he’s been in, he will certainly add a great edge to the Stormers backline for the clash against their rivals.
Leyds has been instrumental for the Stormers, and while he perhaps hasn’t been able to settle in one position due to him having to shift around in the backline due to injuries, he has performed consistently nonetheless.
He has been good on the wing while SP Marais (also injured) started in the No 15 jersey, but his performances when he’s started in the last line of defence have been outstanding.
Leyds has created a lot of opportunities for the Stormers from the back, and he’s been great on counter-attack. So his likely start at fullback this week should certainly do the Stormers well against a Bulls side who have also shown their eagerness to play an expansive game.
Engelbrecht, who can also play at outside centre, will in all likelihood find himself on the wing if he makes the starting line-up.
Against the Blues, the Springbok back added a few great touches – with his ball-carrying, his work in the wide channels and his overall sharpness when on attack adding a pleasing element to the Cape side.
And while Engelbrecht looked good against Tana Umaga’s outfit, Barry’s outing at Newlands this past weekend was also just too good to be chucked aside. And, of course, how ready to go Engelbrecht will be after struggling with discomfort ahead of the Reds game is also a factor.
And so my backline for the Bulls would be...
15 Dillyn Leyds, 14 Craig Barry, 13 EW Viljoen, 12 Damian de Allende, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Jano Vermaak. BULLS LOCK Jason Jenkins is having the biggest week in his fledgling rugby career and he believes it will get better if his team beats the Stormers in the north-south derby at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Earlier in this week, with Springbok lock Lood de Jager ruled out because of injury, it became obvious that Jenkins would be the man tasked to run the Bulls lineout and do the grunt work in their encounter against the Stormers.
De Jager’s injury comes two weeks after the men in blue lost another lock in RG Snyman, leaving their second row rather thin on experience.
The 22-year-old Jenkins will carry on his broad but young shoulders the burden of making calls in one of the Bulls most crucial areas of the game in the lineouts, which the home side will want to use as a springboard to turning around their run of bad luck which has led to four defeats in a row.
But Jenkins will revel in the spotlight of leading the Bulls charge and this on the back of his invitation to the Springboks alignment and assessment camp to be held in Vanderbijlpark next week.
“It’s obviously a big loss for us losing those two; they’re both quality players, they have had a great season, both of them. But I don’t mind taking on the challenge. I think we have the guys to do the job so we aren’t going to stand back. We know the Stormers also have a few injuries, so at the end of the day it is an even playing field. I’m looking forward to the challenge,” said Jenkins.
Jenkins has no illusions of how difficult a task it will be facing a Stormers pack that have held their own against the competent forwards of the Blues and Reds..
“We know they have a strong pack and have a very strong scrum with Wilco (Louw) and Kitsie (Steven Kitshoff ) and so on. We have watched some of their games and we know the pack is what they rely on. We know it will be a big challenge up front as always but that is what you expect from a north-south derby,” Jenkins said.
But the biggest challenge for the Bulls won’t be the magnitude of the occasion or playing at home but rather fighting off the demons of self-doubt after their plan has been deemed redundant in the wake of the consecutive losses in the past month.
And it is those seeds of doubt that Jenkins doesn’t want his teammates to allow to flourish.