Bravehearts: Stormers to ‘spark’ against Scots
Scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies says the Stormers are fired up to klap Edinburgh in tomorrow’s United Rugby Championship (URC) clash innie Kaap, with Sti Sithole promising a “dominant performance” up front against a paar local Scottish props.
John Dobson’s span hasn't played a URC game at Cape Town Stadium since December, but can take a groot step towards climbing the table with victory over the Scots.
Edinburgh are fourth on the log while the Stormers sit ninth just out of the playoff spots but the Kapenaars have lost just three times in URC history in the Mother City, and are undefeated this season.
Jantjies says: “The great thing about this competition is that there is always room for improvement; we’ve addressed some things in training and Edinburgh is a nice challenge for us.
“It’s always special to play at home, especially with the vibe… for us as players it gives us an extra edge.
Who remembers the last time Edinburgh visited DHL Stadium, when two maul tries and a Suleiman Hartzenberg double saw us claim a bonus point win. #iamastormer #dhldelivers https://t.co/LCn5pdoSqA pic.twitter.com/HAQcHLRmRm
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) March 21, 2024
“I think if we can get a full or close to full stadium it will be amazing and hopefully we can reward the people with quality rugby and get the result.
“It’s a perfect time for us … I don’t think we’re too far off [from a big win] and I’m feeling like we’re getting our spark back.”
Veteran tighthead WP Nel, along with fellow SA-born Scotland star Pierre Schoeman and ex-Free Staters Luan de Bruin and Boan Venter, are set to beef up the Edinburgh pack.
DHL Stormers loosehead prop Sti Sithole is determined to make his considerable experience count as the @Vodacom #URC heads towards the business-end of the season. #iamastormer #dhldelivershttps://t.co/RRcWZDBKfw
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) March 19, 2024
But loosehead prop Sithole tells the Stormers’ website: “We know we let ourselves and our fans down with the performance [against the Bulls] at Loftus, so we are eager to turn things around, as a pack and as a team, with a dominant performance.
“The next three weeks are season-defining for us. It’s vital for us. We’ve identified and addressed the areas we need to improve on and now we need to execute those workings on Saturday.”
Dobson is set to name his matchday 23 this afternoon.
Giving it all we have this week. See you at DHL Stadium on Saturday for some @Vodacom #URC
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) March 20, 2024
🎟️ Get your tickets https://t.co/gfx9WuWejO#STOvEDI #iamastormer #dhldelivers pic.twitter.com/hO73pEEwu3
devin.hermanus@inl.co.za