Moerat eager to make his mark

LOCK Salmaan Moerat says just being part of the Stormers’ 28-man squad for their Super Rugby pre-season warm-up game against the Bulls today (kick-off 4 pm) is a “dream come true”.

The former SA Schools captain was on Thursday named in the group to take on the Bulls at Boland Stadium, after starting at No 4 alongside Chris van Zyl in their first friendly against SWD Eagles.

So, although tomorrow won’t be his first touch of the ball in a “Stormers” jersey, the Paarl Boys High product is excited to go up against the Stormers’ rivals in Wellington.

“I’m looking forward to it very much. It’s a dream come true,” Moerat said.

“There’s always a rivalry between the Stormers and the Bulls. It’s a massive occasion for the locals and for us as a union, and it’s a good platform to see where we’re at.”

Moerat and flyhalf Joshua Stander are set to receive game time with both the Stormers and the Invitational side that will take on the Boland Elite in a curtain-raiser (1:50 pm) in Wellington, and in a position where the Stormers and Western Province have no shortage of talent, Moerat says he just wants to continue learning.

“The competition is really healthy, especially at lock in the Western Cape. I can certainly learn. The type of players at this union are world class. If I can just go there every day and learn that’d be great. I can still improve on my conditioning, which is a very important part of rugby”