Stormers go solid but not spectacular for Waratahs

Two selections on Thursday revealed quite a lot about the Stormers’ mindset going into Saturday’s Super Rugby meeting with the Waratahs in Sydney.

With SP Marais and JJ Engelbrecht jumping into the starting line-up at fullback and outside centre respectively, the premium is going to be on solidity rather than excitement.

After all, the Cape franchise admitted earlier this week that their tour of Australasia is about accumulating as much log points as possible, regardless really of how it’s achieved.

“SP is fit and quite an obvious choice for us this week,” Stormers coach Robbie Fleck said from Sydney.

“His strong left-foot adds a different dimension to our backline. We’re expecting an aerial battle from the Waratahs so it makes sense to have him as the last line of defence. Dillyn (Leyds) will move back to the wing.”

Marais strong campaign in 2017 will probably mean there aren’t too many sceptics about his inclusion but it’s a different case with Engelbrecht.

The 29-year-old former Bok midfielder under Heyneke Meyer has seen his stock slump in recent years before being thrown a lifeline by the Stormers in pre-season.

He’ll have a lot to prove.

Fleck though insisted Engelbrecht’s promotion is merely part of an early rotation system with the promising EW Viljoen.

“We want to have a look at JJ. We didn’t see much of him last week against the Jaguares,” he said.

“He’s an experienced midfielder who’s good in the air. EW played really well last week and has definitely brought his form from last year with him. This switch is not about weighing up the strengths of the two players. It’s about trying out combinations, which is ideal on this trip.”

Springbok lock Pieter-Steph du Toit is also back in the No 5 jersey.

Stormers: SP Marais, Dillyn Leyds, JJ Engelbrecht, Damian de Allende, Raymond Rhule, Damian Willemse, Dewaldt Duvenage, Nizaam Carr, Kobus van Dyk, Siya Kolisi (c), Pieter-Steph du Toit, JD Schickerling, Wilco Louw, Ramone Samuels, Steven Kitshoff. Bench: Dean Muir, JC Janse van Rensburg, Carlu Sadie, Chris van Zyl, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Justin Phillips, George Whitehead, EW Viljoen.

ALSO READ: 

//

For more sport your way, follow The Citizen on Facebook and Twitter.