Three Stormers players on a mission
WYNONA LOUW
WHILE British & Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland's squad announcement tomorrow is the rugby highlight this week, it's business as usual for the South African players, who will continue preparing for round two of the Rainbow Cup SA competition.
For individual players, this preparation is, of course, not only done with the aim of being at their physical best heading into their next fixture against local opposition but, for the players of national interest, it also serves as an opportunity to continue working towards peak physical condition before the international season starts.
So, as the Stormers get ready for their Cape Town clash against their old mates the Bulls, here are three players who will look to get one step closer to their best form.
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 do better, Du Toit's performance wasn't one of them. 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 Springboks during the 2019 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.
Damian Willemse
It's become pretty clear that where the national set-up is concerned, the hugely talented baller falls in the “fullback” category. And, given his duty at the back for his franchise, that can be expected to remain just so.
Willemse, who shifted to No 15 towards the end of last year during the domestic competition, is looking more and more at home at fullback. At Cape Town Stadium at the weekend, he produced another solid one as he comfortably did his job under the high ball, kicked well out of hand, and also scored a stunner of a try in the final 10 minutes to put the Stormers back in the game.
He's been involved in the Bok set-up at fullback, and he will no doubt want to use these games to work his way back to his consistently-dazzling and efficient self.
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 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.