It’s the Stormers against the Kings in Port Elizabeth on Saturday. Rugby writers Wynona Louw and Vata Ngobeni take a light-hearted look at the match.
Wynona Louw
I think the Stormers are going to be celebrating in the Port Elizabeth nightspots with crowns on their heads on Saturday night.
The Stormers travel to Port Elizabeth today to take on the Kings in a round three fixture. And given the Stormers’ two-out-of-two start to the Super Rugby competition, Dan du Plessis and his teammates should be in a good-enough mood to still go sightseeing in the Windy City after the game.
Yes, I know that Robbie Fleck’s team said that they won’t be going into the game expecting "light" competition from the hosts, but the fact is, the Cape side are definitely the favourites to reign supreme.
I mean just look back at the Stormers’ performance against the Bulls. And I’m not going to go into detail with their scrums, breakdown work, attacking play and blah blah blah. I just don’t think the Kings stand a chance at their castle tomorrow.
Okay then, let’s get into it, if you insist. The Stormers should certainly continue their dominance at the set-piece, rucks and in open play, but they might even do more damage against the Kings than did against the Bulls and at times, the Jaguares.
Speaking of kings, Dan du Plessis is not the nephew of “The Prince of Wings” (the legendary Carel) for nothing. Dan will be looking to make a proper statement this weekend, as he has not had any game time in Super Rugby so far this season.
Du Plessis showed a lot of classy touches when he wore the Stormers jersey last year, bringing back memories of his maverick father Michael.
And remember, the Du Plessis family are originally from the Eastern Cape, so it will also be a homecoming of sorts for Dan tomorrow (even if Jean-Luc is resting).
And if the hosts think they had it tough against a ball-running Jaguares outfit two weeks ago, they’re in for an unpleasant outing if Dan and his fellow backs get going.
The Kings gave the Jaguares just too much possession, even though they upped their game in the second half. And if they do that against the Stormers tomorrow, Dan du Plessis might just be the King of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
Vata Ngobeni
Be careful of a wounded kudu or rather a wandering kudu.
That is what has become of Kings flyhalf Lionel Cronje who is proving to be the ultimate journeyman in the world of rugby.
From Queenstown to Bloemfontein, Pretoria, Cape Town, Canberra, Durban, back to Queenstown and now Port Elizabeth.
Cronje has played for a number of South African Super Rugby franchises and for the Brumbies in Australia, struggling to nail a place in most of these teams.
But Cronje seems to have found a home in Port Elizabeth and at the Kings, and this comes after a forced sabbatical from the game where Cronje returned to his roots in Queenstown to ponder his future.
Cronje comes from a school where the young men from Queen’s College are called Kudus. And you will often see warnings about the danger of facing an injured Kudu.
Cronje’s career has been damaged somewhat after parting ways with the Sharks two years ago, and he proved how dangerous he can be with a masterclass performance against the Sunwolves last weekend.
There won’t be a better game and opposition than the Stormers for Cronje to remind his former employers that it is through their rejection and years as a nomad, that have made him a better player in his new home at the Kings.
There are even gazelles in this Kings team with wing Malcolm Jaer sprinting and jumping like one on the way to scoring a scintillating try against the Sunwolves.
The Kings played like a new team in Singapore in recording their second win abroad and they will want to show off that new life.
Maybe a win over the Stormers will really help them to break free of the shackles of maladministration that have so often held them back on and off the field.
[email protected] – @Vata_Ngobeni