John Dobson says the DHL Stormers will give their returning Springboks a run in Stellenbosch as they need to shake off their rust before the Champions Cup.

The Stormers returned to training ahead of the homecoming clash against Zebre and were welcomed by a host of players returning from World Cup duty or injuries.

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Frans Malherbe is among the four Springboks who are expected to return to action at the Danie Craven Stadium on Saturday, along with playmakers Damian Willemse and Manie Libbok and loose forward Deon Fourie.

Joining the World Cup winners in training were loose forwards Hacjivah Dayimani and Evan Roos, tighthead prop Sazi Sandi, wing Leolin Zas and centre Suleiman Hartzenberg, who will provide much-needed support in midfield.

However, the games are going to come thick and fast for the Stormers after the Zebre clash, with just a six-day turnaround between their Champions Cup openers against Leicester Tigers (away) and La Rochelle (home), before the local derbies against the Vodacom Bulls and Sharks.

“We have to be slightly careful with how we give them game time. They have been off after the World Cup, relaxing fairly hard for a while,” Dobson said.

“It’s more about perhaps not pushing Manie for 80 minutes, but deciding between giving him 20 minutes off the bench or we could start with him, controlling his minutes and sub him.

“I think they do need to get some rust off, maybe not all of them. Certainly, Manie and Damian need to shake some rust off. We just need to manage it.

“I don’t think they can go from zero to 80, but I’m not going to keep them in cotton wool and throw them into an away game against Leicester or the game against La Rochelle. That wouldn’t be fair. They need a bit of a run at home.”

With the Stormers looking to bounce back from a tour that yielded no wins from four, Dobson is thrilled to be able to rely on the leadership provided by the Boks.

“That’s probably where we have struggled the most as a collective. Having gamedrivers like Manie or a real warrior who can lead by example like Deon, he is huge from a leadership point of view,” Dobson said.

“Deon has been through one of the craziest six weeks. He won a World Cup, his father passed away, he has just come back from the funeral.

“We offered him more time away, but he wants to play rugby. Just seeing him out there in the field, knowing who he is and what he’s done, has given us a massive bit of confidence.”

Lock Ruben van Heerden, one of the leaders in the pack in the Boks’ absence, says simply having them back involved in training has provided the Stormers with a lift.

“You can never underestimate the presence of the Springboks,” Van Heerden said. “You can already see guys like Manie and Damian, Deon, just their presence in the team that brings a certain standard. If you don’t live up to that standard, they will call you out on it.

“That’s definitely something that we need. It’s amazing having those guys back.”

Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images