Jean-Luc spotted at Stormers training
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Flyhalf Jean-Luc Du Plessis has left a lot of tongues wagging after he was spotted training with the Stormers on Wednesday.
The former Stormer has returned to Cape Town after a stint with Japanese club Honda Heat.
Du Plessis joined the Japanese club in 2020 from the Stormers.
Speaking to reporters, Stormers backline and attack coach Dawie Snyman revealed the playmaker is a free agent.
However, at the moment he is just training with the Cape Town franchise.
“Jean-Luc is a special player and we were quite sad when he went to Japan,” Snyman said.
“Things didn’t work out for him there, so he’s a free agent and asked us if he could train with us – once a Stormer, you are always welcome back.
“At this stage, he is just training with us and we will see if we can help get him back playing. We can then see where he is and where we are as a union.
“He’s a great guy to have around and has matured and calmed down a bit, he was quite feisty when he was last here, shouting at forwards and telling Eben [Etzebeth] what to do. He’s a bit more relaxed now.”
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Bok-less Stormers
The Stormers are set to be without their Springbok contingent for the clash against the Lions.
However, Stormers attack coach Snyman revealed that Manie Libbok and Sacha Mngomezulu will be up for selection.
The two playmakers were part of the Springboks’ training camp in Stellenbosch this week.
“At this stage, we are selecting the guys that trained on Wednesday and that is Manie and Sacha,” Snyman said.
“The rest are in the core [Bok] group.”
The Stormers will be out to bounce back from their defeat to Cardiff last weekend.
However, Snyman knows all too well it will be a difficult task against a very unpredictable Lions team.
“The Lions at Ellis Park will always be tough,” Snyman said.
“They had a great tour which gave them a lot of confidence, followed by a good game against Ulster where they came back nicely in the second half.
“Think they would probably be hugely disappointed not to play against Glasgow, they actually had an extra week to rest and prepare for this game so it is going to be difficult for us.”
