After struggling with their front row depth last season, the Stormers are suddenly looking stacked in the department.
After an incredible performance from the Stormers’ forwards who powered them to a brilliant 35-0 whitewash of United Rugby Championship (URC) defending champs Leinster, Director of Rugby John Dobson hailed the sudden depth they have in the front row department.
The Stormers have had major front row problems over the past few seasons, losing experienced double World Cup winner Steven Kitshoff, who was forced to retire due to a neck injury, while fellow Springbok star Frans Malherbe has struggled with his own neck and back injuries.
That put the Cape side in a bit of a bind last year, especially when their other props also suffered varying injuries at different times of the season, and another extremely experienced head in Brok Harris retired, and is now in the team’s coaching box.
But just one game into the current campaign and things are looking very rosy on that front, with the emergence of three up and coming front rankers, namely Vernon Matongo, Oliver Reid and Zachary Porthen.
Added to that is their experienced group, led by Neethling Fouché, while former Sharks prop Ntuthuko Mchunu has joined their ranks, but is currently injured and unavailable.
They also have Bok monster Wilco Louw joining them next season, after his contract with the Bulls concludes, and if Malherbe is able to make his way back to full fitness, the Stormers scrum department will be absolutely stacked.
Speaking after the Leinster result Dobson admitted his excitement for the future of the Stormers forward pack.
Scrum culture
“The scrum culture is so important. This time last year, we had guys like Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe, and now we have Olly Reid, Zach Porthen and Vernon Matongo,” said Dobson.
“The culture of scrumming is remarkable, and we played without Tuks (Mchunu), Ali (Vermaak), Sazi (Sandi) and Franna (Malherbe).
“Leinster had 13 internationals and we were four internationals with 13 [Test] caps. It’s remarkable that we got that sort of depth in those youngsters.”
Overall, Dobson was thrilled with the performance of his whole team as they dismantled Leinster with a clinical second half showing that saw them run in four tries to pick up the bonus point, and two of those came from powerful driving mauls.
“I am super proud of Ruhan (Nel, captain) and the team. We had a plan, but it had to be a different plan to the normal Stormers plan,” explained Dobson.
“If you work out how our game model is, it had to be about hard work, intensity, physicality, sticking to a plan and I’m super proud and grateful to them because that was a magic performance.
“Our mauls have stalled in the last two years, but Rito (Hlungwani, assistant coach) came up with a new product and it was sensational in George (in a pre-season match against the Sharks), and again here (against Leinster). That’s just a product of Rito working really hard.”
