Stormers utility back Wandisile Simelane is in line to make his debut for his new franchise when they take on the Sharks in their URC derby in Durban on Saturday. Picture: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
Recent Stormers recruit Wandisile Simelane is in line to make his debut when they battle it out against the Sharks in their United Rugby Championship (URC) derby at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday evening.
Simelane has not reached the heights that his early promise showed, with him featuring for the Lions and Bulls before his move to the Cape, and he will be looking to restart his career with a bang this weekend.
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Stormers coach John Dobson is very excited with what he has seen from the 25-year-old in two friendly games against UCT and Maties over the past two weeks and is looking forward to seeing him in action against the Sharks on the weekend.
“He’s been outstanding. We are so excited by him. There is so much more to him than we realised,” said Dobson during a Stormers press conference on Tuesday.
“We knew about his sidestepping, but his work rate, the way he gets off the ground, his support lines, his second touches, his backstory, his personality and his desperation to become a Springbok. All of that (has been eye opening).
“He is somebody we want to keep here for a while. We’ve been really thrilled with him. He will definitely be involved in the next couple of weeks.”
Although the Stormers will be missing three key Springbok stars in Damian Willemse, Manie Libbok and Deon Fourie for the important clash, they have welcomed back Frans Malherbe, Salmaan Moerat, Evan Roos and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu from injury to boost their stocks ahead of the game.
“We are in a nice position with our injury roster. Frans is training properly. We’ll decide what our plans are with him still, but he is back. Salmaan, Evan Roos and Sacha are all fully fit and it is really useful having those guys back,” said Dobson.
“A guy like Wandisile wasn’t injured but it was too soon to play him (before the recent break). He is a guy who has played those two friendlies (against UCT and Maties), so he is now eligible for selection. It’s a nice boost of resources during (Springbok) resting time.”
Following their match against the Sharks the Stormers head up to Loftus for a massive derby against the Bulls in Pretoria in early March.
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