World Cup winning trio set to make Stormers return for huge La Rochelle clash
The Stormers are set to welcome back the World Cup winning trio of Deon Fourie, Mannie Libbok and Damian Willemse as they seek to bounce back from their opening round loss in the Investec Champions Cup when they host reigning champions La Rochelle on Saturday at Cape Town Stadium.
A Stormers side light on a number of Springboks came away empty handed from Welford Road on Sunday despite leading at half-time against the Leicester Tigers. Now back on South African soil, John Dobson is ready to unleash his world champion players on Ronan O'Gara's back-to-back reigning champions as they seek to get their Champions Cup season started.
This is perhaps the perfect time for the 2022 United Rugby Championship winners to face La Rochelle after an inconsistent start to their Top 14 season. Their problems were compounded on Sunday when they lost at home to Leinster in a repeat of the last two finals.
Tighthead prop Neethling Fouche is another player who is in line to return this weekend having missed the match against Leicester, and discussed the impact the World Cup winners have had on the squad this week.
“It’s been great having those guys back, the wealth of experience, calmness and leadership that they bring,” he said. “It’s nice being on the field and looking around and seeing those faces – it gives a comforting feeling.
“The Rugby World Cup feels that you get from them, it just inspires you, and the energy is also automatically higher at training and it’s exceptional having them back.
“La Rochelle, in particular, have a very good scrum. They put most of the TOP 14 teams under pressure in that department and have got almost a full pack of French international forwards, heavy guys.
“We’re going to have to be ready on that front as an eight unit and be solid together and tight. It’s exciting for us and hopefully we can go out and execute our plans.”
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> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
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