John Dobson says Ben Loader is destined to play Test rugby as the England speedster continues to impress in his first season with the DHL Stormers.
Loader has scored four tries in 13 appearances since joining the Stormers after the liquidation of Premiership side London Irish.
The 25-year-old’s eye for a gap, excellent aerial ability and defensive nous has been key in helping the Stormers progress from the ‘pool of death’ in the Champions Cup, while continuing their drive for a top-eight finish in the Vodacom URC.
Speaking to the Telegraph on Loader’s progress since moving to Cape Town, Stormers director of rugby Dobson said that the winger has the potential of an international star.
“If he wants to stay here and plays like he is for a few years, he would be good enough to be in the Springbok alignment camps,” Dobson told the Telegraph.
“He is not going to play for South Africa, his heart is in England, but that’s the level we think he is at. If you are a starting wing regularly for the Stormers, you would be involved in some form of Springbok mix at some stage. Ben is definitely capable of playing Test rugby.”
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Dobson also shed further light on how the Stormers scooped up Loader, who was a free agent after London Irish collapsed last June.
While there was plenty of interest in Loader’s former London Irish teammate Henry Arundell, who now plays alongside Siya Kolisi at Racing 92, he left a strong impression in his two performances against the Stormers in last season’s Champions Cup pool games.
Loader’s decision to delay his move to Cape Town, to ensure his teammates were settled, only endured him further to the Stormers
“He said; ‘I don’t want to be the first guy to leave the ship. I want to make sure most of my teammates are OK before I commit’. I thought that was pure class,” Dobson explained. “We were offering him a straight gig in Cape Town on a reasonable salary, and he stalled on us just to give London Irish every chance, to check most of the squad were OK. That’s what really sold him to us.
“I could be wrong here, but I think he was very traumatised with what happened to London Irish. With us he is completely invested in the squad, the group. I presume he was the same there. But it’s not an easy thing to come to Cape Town. He saw the bigger picture.
“Our big change at the Stormers in the last couple of years is that we are playing for the people of Cape Town, and he completely gets that. He gets that we’re a poor region, that people are making sacrifices to come and watch our games. He has exceeded all our expectations, but mostly as a person.”
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images)