Stormers brace for impact against well-rested Bulls

The Stormers will be up against it in their own backyard on Friday evening as they will face a strong, well-rested Bulls side coming down from the north.

The Stormers were last in action on Saturday evening when they managed to stick one on a London Irish side who were competing in Cape Town for the first time.

The victory against Exiles came at a price with Salmaan Moerat, Ruhan Nel and Leolin Zas all picking injuries in the process with Moerat’s injury being described as serious.

The Bulls, however, are at full-strength this week after Jake White’s rotation policy saw a host of big names left behind on the recent tour to England where they were clocked by Exeter Chiefs, 44-14.

“Clearly they are focusing quite a lot on this game, and they obviously remember what happened here a few months ago. So, there’s no doubt what they’re about,” Stormers boss John Dobson said.

“But we’re excited and we’re fighters, and no matter what the curveballs are from the injuries, it’s what makes us the Stormers – we are resilient, we will talk a lot about it during the week, and we will stand up next week.

“It’s going to be a great game for South African rugby, and they are obviously clearly focusing on this game. Great derby – it’s going to be… Ticket sales are great, so I am looking forward to it very much.”

When quizzed about the stuttering backline performance last weekend, Dobson responded with the following:

“If I had to give you an answer to (why that happened), I’d be guessing – I really don’t know. It was a bit worrying today… It wasn’t our best in that respect. We gave them a lot of scrum feeds, which is tiring and takes a lot out of our pack,” he said.

A stand-out performer in the Stormers side has been 25 year-old number 8 Hacjivah Dayimani who, despite not being as physically powerful as the typical South African forward, is finding ways to make his presence known.

“In that Rassie (Erasmus) documentary, he talked about when he was small, he had to find a different way,” Dobson said. “Hacjivah’s doing exactly the same things Evan does for us, but in a different way – which is great. He is breaking games (open), getting over the advantage line. His kick-return is great.

“It is a pity that they (Dayimani and Roos) are not playing together, because they are the two sub-11-second 100m loose forwards, but he is doing a great job for us.”