Stormers reap the rewards with Simelane experiment

“If someone asked me which I prefer – centre or fullback – I would say flyhalf.”

That was Wandisile Simelane’s candid response when asked about his switch from centre to fullback during a Stormers media briefing this week.

Simelane has spent most of his Stormers career at outside centre, with a few appearances on the wing.

However, this season head coach John Dobson has deployed him at fullback – a move prompted by the Cape Town franchise’s injury troubles in the backline.

The 27-year-old has started at fullback in the Stormers’ recent victories over Leinster (35-0) and Ospreys (26-10) – and has truly impressed in the role.

According to Rugbypass, across those two games, the versatile back made more than 20 carries, 114 metres, and registered several line breaks. He was also dominant in defence.

Whether he will consistently don the No.15 jersey remains to be seen, given the Stormers have the likes of Warrick Gelant (injured), Damian Willemse, and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (both on Springbok duty) at their disposal.

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“It’s been a great challenge,” Simelane told reporters.

“First and foremost, just helping the team win is the first thing on my mind.

“Playing more actually comes first before playing centre.

“Then, if I do play centre, it’s a bonus.

“But the most important thing is to win.”

Third time’s a charm?

Simelane is no stranger to covering fullback.

During his time at the Lions, he played fullback in the Currie Cup and back in 2022, then Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White experimented with him in the position for several URC matches, including a North-South derby against the Stormers.

While that project didn’t yield much success at the time, the current version of Simelane appears more comfortable and confident – thanks in part to the support of his Stormers teammates and coaches.

“Warrick has helped a lot. Also, Dan du Plessis, Ruhan Nel, and coach Norman Laker have been guiding me,” he stated.

“The amount of time and energy spent towards the team comes from a place where we all genuinely want to do well before thinking about the individual.

“It sounds really cliché, but when they picked me at 15, the guys around me made it so easy for me to adapt.

“And yeah, luckily it worked out.”

In the wake of the win against Ospreys, Dobson admitted Simelane’s performances at fullback have given him a selection headache.

“I’m thrilled for Wandi because I’m so happy for him – he’s such a good kid.

“It feels like we’ve been on a bit of a journey with him. He’s working hard off the ball, he puts a lot into the team environment, so I’m very happy for him.”

The Stormers will take on the Scarlets in Wales on Friday.