VIDEO: A glimpse of the Stormers' future
WATCH as new Stormers captain Salmaan Moerat speaks to the media about the responsibility of leading the big Trek north.
The 23-year-old Moerat was named captain of the Stormers for their Preparation match against the Bulls in Pretoria on Friday.
Moerat admitted it has been a dream of his to lead the Stormers, given his family history in the game.
“I am a home-grown boy and my family have played a massive role in rugby [in the region],” he told a virtual media briefing on Wednesday.
Having long been touted as a future Stormers captain, the second row forward – standing 199 centimetres tall and weight in just under 120 kilograms – captained several teams in his junior years.
There was Paarl Boys’ High School’s First XV, the Western Province (Under-18) Craven Week team, the South African Schools team and the Baby Boks.
“It is a massive honour for me to be able to captain this [Stormers] team,” he said about leading the side into the Bulls’ kraal, Loftus Versfeld.
“It has been a few years [2017] since I captained a team, but I am excited about what lies ahead.
“I have a good group of leaders around me and they are making my job a lot easier.”
Moerat said he always tended to lead by example, instead of talking a lot.
“The guys are really excited for this [coming] weekend,” he said of what he described as a ‘massive’ game against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.
“We know what the outcome is that we want,” he said of their desire to win, adding: “We also know what the bigger picture is.”
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He suggested the team has been making “steady progress” since the domestic Preparation Series got underway in late February.
He spoke of the need to improve the squad depth.
“There is a lot of players that took their opportunities and are keen to get going again.”
Labeeb Levy, taking charge of the team this week in the ongoing coaching rotation during the Preparation Series, said they are preparing for a bigger picture – the Rainbow Cup.
“We need to phase the players in on a weekly basis,” he said about a team that sees several players to come into the starting line-up for the trip to Pretoria.
In the backline, Damian Willemse is at fullback and will link up with wings Leolin Zas and Edwill van der Merwe, while Rikus Pretorius comes into the midfield and Paul de Wet makes a start at scrumhalf.
In the pack, Moerat will partner David Meihuizen in the second row and there is an all-new front row of Leon Lyons, Chad Solomon and Sazi Sandi.
“We have opted for a younger front row to build some dept,” Levy said.
“With the Springboks potentially leaving [for the B&I Lions tour in the UK] later in the year, they need game time under the belt.”
He admitted it has been ‘interesting’ taking charge of the team, especially from a planning perspective.
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