‘We are used to it’: Pumas ready to start rebuilding once again

The Pumas are ready to rebuild their team once again, as they prepare for a spate of departures with some of their best players set to leave for bigger unions during the off season.

As one of South Africa’s top performing smaller unions, the Pumas usually see their best players snapped up by the bigger unions as soon as they make a name for themselves.

It will be no different this year, and could be even worse than usual after they defied the odds to secure their first ever Currie Cup title last week.

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It was an amazing season after they saw a host of players leave the union just before the start of the Currie Cup, and lost even more during the campaign.

“It was a very emotional year. Losing guys to Zebre in the middle of the season and when the season started we lost four players to the Lions, which we didn’t count on,” said Pumas coach Jimmy Stonehouse.

“But we are so used to starting all over again. There are a lot of players in South Africa and we will just take the next one and turn them into a Faf de Klerk, or a Rosko Specman, or a Vincent Koch, because the Currie Cup breeds those guys.

“If it wasn’t for this competition, where are those guys going to come through? So yes, we are losing 10 players (before next season) but we have done our planning and we are going to contract the guys who are going to fill in those shoes.”

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One of the Pumas’ star players on their way out the door will be their inspirational captain Willie Englebrecht who will be joining the Stormers on a full-time contract.

Engelbrecht has featured for the Stormers previously as a loan signing, but now makes a permanent move and continues his incredible journey, having originally retired from rugby after a bad run of luck, before Stonehouse called him up and recruited him and turned him into a Currie Cup winning captain.

Creating opportunities

“Willie Engelbrecht is an amazing kid. He has had a difficult background, people didn’t believe in him and then he got this opportunity. I backed him for who is and he just proved everybody wrong,” said Stonehouse.

“The opportunity of playing in the Currie Cup and showing what he can do got him that contract at Western Province, so the opportunities come through the Currie Cup.

“This kid is just amazing and I hope he makes it even further. He was in the Springbok (alignment) camp last year and obviously for him the journey is brilliant, going out there and playing for the Stormers.

“I think that’s something for each and every rugby player out there to remember. You can come from nowhere – you didn’t play Craven week and suddenly you get the opportunity – and that’s what the Currie Cup is there for, and I love it.”