From friend to foe as Stormers host Lions
SPOTLIGHT: Having made his return from injury on tour, Stormers loosehead prop Sti Sithole is preparing to face his former team for the first time this season when the Lions visit Cape Town on Saturday.
Despite Sithole making his first start since March in the win over Dragons at Newport, the prop is excited to make an impact in the last match before the URC knockout rounds.
“I’ve been feeling really good after my injury,” Sithole said.
“I got a nice chunk of game-time against Dragons. The week after, I got a full week of training with the team, so I’m feeling good and my body’s feeling good and fresh.
“I’m just ready to make an impact in the last push of this vital part of the season.”
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The Stormers will host the Lions in Cape Town on Saturday, the first time Sithole faces his former side since returning to the Stormers this season.
The Stormers have already secured a place in the URC playoffs, but that doesn’t mean that the team will be taking their feet off the pedal on Saturday afternoon.
“There is still a lot of pressure on us, even though we have secured a playoff spot,” Sithole said.
“We want to put the pedal down hard, especially heading into this part of the season. It’s very important to get a great result and put in a good performance. We need this cohesion, heading into the play-offs.”
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Despite his first season back in Cape Town being affected by injuries, Sithole says he has benefitted from the tough training sessions and scrumming against his teammates.
“I’ve enjoyed my first season back with the Stormers, even though it has been rocky because I’ve missed a good chunk of it through injury.
“I’m loving scrumming against Springbok props like Frans [Malherbe] and Neethling [Fouche], who is in the alignment camps, as well as some of the other guys like Sazi Sandi, who are also great scrummers and really put the pressure on you in those live sessions.
“It’s been a pleasure. That’s how you get better, especially as a prop, getting tested week in and week out.”
Source: @StormersRugby
