STORMERS PLAYERS WITH A POINT TO PROVE
AS we’re getting closer to the arrival of the British & Irish Lions, the South African players contesting the Rainbow Cup SA competition are getting some much-needed mileage in after a tough, frustrating and uncertain 2020.
Individually, some players – those in the national frame – will of course want to do the most to get in peak physical shape before the quadrennial blockbuster, and while the Stormers will of course be focused on their next assignment against the Bulls at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, there will be a good number of players who will also want to build towards the international season.
Here are three of them ...
Marvin Orie
With all the injuries and scares surrounding the Springbok secondrow options in recent months, knowing that the situation isn’t as bad as initially feared is a major relief.
Marvin Orie, who recently joined the Stormers from the Lions, has made a few appearances for the Boks and will no doubt want to be in the mix for the bumper international season that lies ahead.
The derby against the Bulls will be another opportunity for Orie to stake a claim for inclusion.
I mean, who better to prove a point against than their old foes, the Bulls?
Herschel Jantjies
The 2019 World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year nominee will forever have a hard time beating the version he was during the 2019 World Cup and leading up to the showpiece, simply because he was so ridiculously good.
Last year, the scrumhalf struggled at times, and his performances – which didn’t come close to what he had put on show the previous season – reeked of second-year syndrome.
But we all know his quality, and against the Sharks, he looked good. Knowing that he has a good few games to continue working on his form is an exciting thought.
Pieter-Steph du Toit
The blindside flank made his return to competitive rugby for the first time in over a year at the weekend when the Stormers suffered an indigestible 33-30 defeat to the Sharks at Cape Town Stadium.
While there are perhaps a few things from that match John Dobson’s team would have wanted to go better, Du Toit’s performance wasn’t one of them.
Pieter-Steph du Toit powered through 80 minutes of rugby and, better yet, was his usual busy self as he hit ruck after ruck, made some big hits, put in plenty of carries, was a proper presence at the lineouts and just produced an overall commendable comeback.
He was an absolute superstar for the Boks during the World Cup – the last time they played Test rugby – and he will be on a mission to get back to that as the Lions tour draws near.