Herschel Jantjies is relishing the opportunity to face Edinburgh and reward DHL Stormers fans with “quality rugby” when the teams clash in Cape Town on Saturday.
The Stormers last played a Vodacom URC game in front of their supporters in December, and starting with the Scottish visitors, have an excellent opportunity to make home advantage count.
Edinburgh are fourth on the standings after eight victories and three defeats, yet only Munster and the Lions have beaten John Dobson’s charges in the URC at Cape Town Stadium, where they are undefeated this season.
The Stormers slipped out of the top eight to ninth prior to a two-week break in the competition, but can take a major step towards reviving their playoffs prospects with victory on Saturday.
“It’s always special to play at home, especially with the vibe … for us as players it gives us an extra edge over the opposing team,” Jantjies told the media earlier this week.
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“We saw the turnout at Loftus [against the Vodacom Bulls] and I know the result didn’t go our way but it was amazing, and I think if we can get a full or close to full stadium it will be just as amazing.
“Hopefully we can reward the people with quality rugby and get the result.”
“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,” the scrumhalf added.
“It’s a perfect time for us to get a clear view on [how we want to play] … I don’t think we’re too far off and I’m feeling like we’re getting our spark back. This weekend is an opportunity to be better than our last game.”
Jantjies was one of 11 Stormers in a group of 43 that assembled in Cape Town two weeks ago for a Springbok in-person coaches’ strategic session and two-day alignment camp.
The World Cup winner missed the final cut for South Africa’s title defence in France last year, and addressing his Bok chances, he explains, “You can think of yourself and start looking at the future on a national level, but at the moment I can say that if I can play well for the Stormers, [a Bok callup] will take care of itself.”
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