John Dobson is delighted to have Ruhan Nel fit and firing as the DHL Stormers target defensive improvement in the Champions Cup match against London Irish on Sunday. DYLAN JACK reports.
Nel was as a surprise inclusion in the starting lineup that will be on duty for the Stormers in Brentford on Sunday afternoon.
TEAM: Returning trip boost Stormers backs
The 31-year-old was not named in the original touring squad, but has recovered quicker than anticipated from his injury and resumes the effective midfield partnership with Dan du Plessis.
The other two major changes to the Stormers backline see youngster Suleiman Hartzenberg shifted to wing and Damian Willemse to fullback.
“Ruhan Nel is unquestionably our number one No 13. He has rehabbed and recovered from his injury faster than we thought,” Dobson told the media on Friday.
“It gives us a different feel to the backs to move Suleiman out wide, which I have said a couple of times is our preferred position for him this year. Dan and Ruhan as a combination are exceptional centres. Damian has been excellent at fullback, so those changes were pretty simple to make.”
Dobson said that he will be relying on Willemse and Nel to improve the Stormers defence, after a tough outing in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship against Glasgow Warriors.
“Damian has a really good understanding, having been here much longer, of our defensive system and how to close down. We picked up a lot of critique of our defence last week, which I could go into. For now, if we are going to use that linespeed, then we need the fullback to have an advanced understanding of both their kicking threat and how to close.
“We think that Dan and Ruhan are an exceptional combination. We wanted to change one or two things from last week and that just fits our plan for this week. Ruhan is our defensive leader. In a lot of teams, the No 13 does that. We had Suleiman there , but it’s his first year into senior rugby and there’s a lot to absorb. It’s a very complex position to defend in.
“Moving Dan out there when he is a 12 last week, we did it for sound reasons because we didn’t have Ruhan. So to have our number one outside centre back is fantastic. The rest sort of slot in from there. We certainly weren’t going to leave Dan du Plessis out, the way he is playing.”
The Stormers claimed a 34-14 home win in the first outing between these two sides in December and have the opportunity to secure a place in the playoffs, but Dobson knows it will be far tougher on the Exiles’ ground.
“It’s going to be incredibly tough. They have come into form. I met one of their committee members last night in the hotel here and he told me about how they feel it has all clicked. Their back three is one of the most exciting in the Premiership.
“They are a good team so it is going to be a really tough game for us. The score definitely flattered us in Cape Town. This will be a good test. We know we have to win one of the next two games to get through to the last 16. It will be nice if that happens this weekend, but that’s easier said than done.”
EURO CUP PICKS: Bulls, Sharks to fly SA flag
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images