Ruan Nel returns as Stormers brace for 'knockout' showdown with Leicester Tigers

While the Stormers will welcome back the majority of their main players for Saturday’s clash against the Leicester Tigers, the team has received a further shot in the arm.

Experienced back Ruhan Nel has been declared fit to run out in the Champions Cup match after missing the last month with a calf injury. The outside centre returned to training on Monday and will boost the Cape side’s backline stocks, which have been depleted by injuries.

“Ruhan brings a lot, not just defensively but also as a leader. That kind of presence helps settle things when you’re under pressure,” backline and attack coach Dawie Snyman said on Tuesday.

The Stormers, largely made up of fringe players, were hammered 61–10 by Harlequins on Sunday. The players who went to London have returned in dribs and drabs, with some only getting back to the Mother City on Tuesday. However, the first-choice players who were left behind had training sessions on Friday and Monday, which should negate the short turnaround ahead of Saturday’s crucial encounter.

“The guys that weren't involved against Harlequins, they all stayed at home. They did the extra session on Friday and some work yesterday, so they're all in,” Snyman said. “There's some other guys that flew back on Sunday night, who will be involved today (Tuesday’s session), and then there's still guys probably landing later.”

It looks as though the players who stayed behind have already held a debrief, with hooker Andre-Hugo Venter saying they have already identified the areas where they went wrong against Harlequins at The Stoop.

“As soon as you start getting momentum and then lose the ball, it’s frustrating,” Venter said. “A lot of it came down to the breakdown. Those turnovers just killed our momentum and made it hard to get any fluency.”

Despite not playing on Sunday, Venter says the heavy defeat was felt by the players who watched on television in South Africa, and they view this weekend’s match as a chance to bounce back.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re playing or not – if the Stormers lose, you lose. It hurts all of us,” said Venter. “That’s why this week is massive. It’s a chance to bounce back and put things right.”

The previously unbeaten Stormers are currently third in Pool 3 behind Leinster and Harlequins. A win this weekend could see them return to the top two and qualify for the Round of 16. Snyman says they are viewing the match as a knockout encounter.

“It’s a play-off game for us. We have to go out and get the job done to make sure we go to the following round. That's definitely something we, at the start of the season, wanted to achieve,” Snyman said.