Stormers out to neutralise a 'legend of the franchise'
SPOTLIGHT: Stormers prop Neethling Fouche is relishing the prospect of seeing some familiar faces when his team comes up against Stade Rochelais on Saturday.
One of them is outside back Dillyn Leyds.
He was a prominent figure in Western Province and Stormers teams between 2013 and 2020 before he made the move to France and joined Ronan O’Gara’s side.
The French team also has another former Stormer in the squad in the form of Raymond Rhule, who had a handful of appearances for the Capetonians in 2018.
Both Leyds and Rhule have flourished with Stade Rochelais and they became two-time Champions Cup winners.
The speedsters pose a threat that Fouche is eager to neutralise.
“Leggit [Leyds] has got a massive Stormers story – a legend of the franchise,” said Fouche.
“We’re delighted to welcome him and Raymond back.
“We’ve been watching their careers develop overseas.
“It’s nice getting to see some familiar faces on the other side. But you want to get one up on them because then the beers just taste sweeter afterwards!”
The story continues below…
Scrum battle
Meanwhile, turning to his department, which is the scrums, Fouche acknowledged how tough it will be against a formidable pack.
The good news for the Stormers is that the battle will take place on the refurbished pitch at Cape Town Stadium.
“It’s a prop’s dream to have a lekker [nice] rugby field to scrum on, so we’re very excited about that,” Fouche explained.
“We’ve got three massive scrum battles coming up over the next few weeks.
“La Rochelle, in particular, has a very good scrum, they put most of the Top 14 teams under pressure in that department, and 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.”
Fouche was one of several key players rested by head coach John Dobson last week, among them also Damian Willemse, Manie Libbok and Deon Fourie.
The prop opened up on the value of having the World Cup-winning trio back in the mix.
“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 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.”
Source: @THESTORMERS
