Stormers boosted by Springbok returns for North-South derby

The Stormers have been boosted by the return of a number of Springboks ahead of their huge North-South United Rugby Championship (URC) derby against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday evening.

The big name among the returning players is Bok prop Frans Malherbe, who is set to make his first appearance of the season for the Stormers, after recovering from the injury he picked up at the World Cup in France last year.

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Stormers coach John Dobson had initially hoped that Malherbe would make his return in their match against the Sharks in Durban a week and a half ago, but he decided not to rush him back, meaning he will either start or play off the bench at Loftus this weekend.

Malherbe-Fouche combination

Tighthead prop Neethling Fouche, who has been immense for the Cape side in the absence of the Bok stalwart, and earned himself a call-up to the first Bok alignment camp of the season taking place next week, will thus have to wait and see which role he will be playing.

“Everyone is available this week and I think the level of competition that has been brought by the Springboks returning has been particularly pleasing,” said happy Stormers forwards coach Rito Hlungwani at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

“It is really nice to have Frans back as he is a really experienced player ranked as one of the best tightheads in the world. His return has improved our environment and it will push Neethling even more.

“They will both play a role at Loftus regardless of which one starts and which one finishes the game. We also have Sazi Sandi and Lee-Marvin Mazibuko back in training so it is looking good with our prop situation. Having Frans back is a big boost as it lifts those players to train even better.”

Lock competition

Stormers club captain Salmaan Moerat, who made his long awaited return from injury off the bench against the Sharks, is in line for a start which has added more competition to a stacked lock department that has been martialled extremely well by Adre Smith and Ruben van Heerden.

“Making a choice between Salmaan and Adre is really tough as Adre and Ruben van Heerden have been doing really well as a combination,” said Hlungwani.

“But we know the standard and level of play that Salmaan brings to the table. The second row is a similar situation to the one we have with our tightheads. Having Salmaan back has raised the temperature a bit and it is a very good problem for us to have.”

Other Stormers Bok stars that should be back in the mix for the massive derby include Damian Willemse, Manie Libbok and Deon Fourie who all missed the Sharks game due to Springbok resting protocols.