The Stormers are tapping into 50 years of history while keeping their team selection tightly under wraps ahead of Friday night’s historic clash against the touring All Blacks at DHL Stadium (7pm kickoff).
A South African provincial side taking on New Zealand is a rare occurrence. In the case of the Cape outfit, the last meeting came half a century ago when Western Province famously earned a 12-11 victory over the All Blacks at Newlands in 1976.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Stormers forwards coach Rito Hlungwani revealed that head coach John Dobson brought up that iconic triumph during preparations for the opening fixture of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Series.
“It’s something that Dobbo did mention two weeks ago to the team,” said Hlungwani. “I saw a couple of clips, so it’s something that our players are aware of. We’ve reached out into that sort of depth of who played in that team, how we won, who scored the tries.
“We know who played, we know how that game ended, and it’s something that we’re really proud of — the history of this club and what they achieved 50 years ago.”
Veteran forward Deon Fourie echoed those sentiments, emphasising that facing a touring national side is a unique privilege.
“It’s just the opportunity doesn’t come around every four years like a World Cup,” Fourie said. “Last time was 50 years ago, and now we get an opportunity again. We don’t know if that opportunity will ever come again. It’s just to grab it with both hands and don’t disappoint yourself and this club.”
While the weight of history hangs over the fixture, the Stormers remain tight-lipped regarding their team sheet.
IOL Sport reported on Sunday that Junior Springbok flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed is set for a surprise starting role, despite the 20-year-old U20 World Championship winner yet to make a senior appearance for the franchise.
Hlungwani didn’t confirm or deny whether the talented Ahmed or other returning World Rugby U20 Championship winners would feature.
“Yaqeen is training with us. As you know, we normally announce the team later in the week,” Hlungwani noted, adding that loose-head prop Oliver Reid has also returned to full training alongside several other Junior Boks.
The coaching staff are also carefully managing squad fitness in the engine room. Locks JD Schickerling and Riley Norton, a former Junior Springboks captain himself, have both resumed training following respective injuries, though Hlungwani admitted the medical team may opt not to risk either forward against Dave Rennie’s tourists.
Should Schickerling and Norton be held back, the Stormers retain useful versatility in the second row. “Adré Smith is available, Connor Evans is available, and Ruan Ackermann has played lock before, so we do have options,” Hlungwani said.
