Stormers need Nemo at his best

The absence of Springbok superstar Duane Vermeulen has thrust Nizaam Carr back into the Super Rugby spotlight.

The Stormers will be without the South African Player of the Year, Vermeulen, for their two tour matches on Australian soil – against the defending champion Waratahs this coming Saturday and the lowly Western Force a week later.

He is being rested in accordance with a request from the national team management.

Stormers assistant coach Robbie Fleck admitted it will leave a substantial hole in their set-up, especially in terms of leadership.

However, Nizaam Carr – one of the finds of 2014 – will now step into the void.

Carr, who missed part of the team's pre-season build-up after ending up in hospital with a severe viral infection, has struggled to regain the form that turned him into a Springbok on the year-end tour – where he made his debut against Italy and also faced Wales in the final match of the trip.

Although he is the direct antithesis of Vermeulen – renowned for his athleticism and linking style – Fleck said Carr still has a vital role to play.

"He [Vermeulen] also brings a nice balance to our loose forwards in terms of his game," Fleck said in a conference call from the team's training base in the beachside Sydney suburb of Coogee, adding: "He is especially vital on defence and he is also a good line-out option."

However, they will now turn to the player that was such a revelation during last year's Currie Cup competition.

"We have Nemo [Nizaam Carr], who we'll push to get back to his best," Fleck said.

"He was a Springbok on the year-end tour and it is an exciting time for him to get back.

"We are looking for him to give a solid performance in his favourite position [No.8]."

The Stormers assistant admitted it has been tough for Carr since he has come back from the early season illness.

"We all know what he can bring to the game – he was exceptional in the Currie Cup.

"We will need him to play a bit tighter, but when Nemo is on fire he is a player that links well between forwards and back.

"In previous games he was probably a bit too lateral – not doing the hard yards and wasn't square enough.

"However, he is hungry to get out there and perform again."

There was also good news for the Stormers on the injury front.

Kobus van Wyk, Juan de Jongh and Michael Rhodes all did some sideline training on Monday.

They are expected to be back to full training on Tuesday.

Siya Kolisi, one of the three Bok loose forwards remaining in the squad, came on as an injury replacement for Rhodes in the 14th minute of their loss to the Hurricanes in Wellington last Friday.

He showed no after effects and took full part in training on Monday.

Fleck said all those with bumps and bruises should be back in full training on Tuesday.

The Stormers, who lost their last three matches after winning the first four, and slumped to ninth on the standings, are facing another tough hurdle when they tackle the defending champion Waratahs in Sydney on Saturday.

Fleck had a simple explanation for the slump: "We played against three quality New Zealand sides. Against the Chiefs we were in control  and then let it slip in the second half. Against the Highlanders we forced it too much. This past weekend [against the Hurricanes] was much better and we put them under tremendous pressure. There was a call against us [Conrad Smith knocked on close to his own line] and they scored a try on the other side."

However, Fleck is adamant they are on the right track and will soon be back in play-off contention.

That journey starts against the Waratahs team coming off a bye and playing a "pretty simple" game.

"It is pretty brutal the way they play and they are a big side," he said of the Waratahs, adding: "They ask a lot of questions of you defensively and their defence is accurate too.

"The Waratahs are a quality outfit – they've proven it over the past few years, having taken on the best teams in Super Rugby and beating them.

"We need to be at our best against them, but we have taken confidence from the Canes match and will use that on Saturday.

"We need to keep asking questions of the opposition and we need to keep putting them under pressure."

By Jan de Koning

@King365ed

@rugby365com