Scarra Ntubeni of the Stormers assisting the squad prepare during the Investec Champions Cup match early this season.
Image: BackpagePix
Stormers stalwart Scarra Ntubeni will take a final bow at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday in the United Rugby Championship match against Connacht.
In an indication of the affection in which he is held at the Stormers, the 35-year-old hooker has been given a “walk into the sunset” by coach John Dobson after 15-years with the team, although Ntubeni will be recalled from retirement if there is a sudden injury crisis at hooker in the last weeks of the URC.
The Stormers will be emotional enough as they bid farewell to long-serving manager Chippie Solomon, who recently died, but they will also want to give Ntubeni a winning farewell.
“It is going to be a very tough match," Ntubeni said.
“We have done a lot of work on them, they are a great team, they test you heavily on defence. We have got some plans for that, but it is not going to be easy.
“They have a mixture of experienced Irish internationals and a few youngsters, but Dobbo and the coaching team have done a lot of work on that.
“Scrum-wise, we have a lot of plans. They play on a 4G pitch, and it is totally different here in Cape Town. Hopefully it doesn’t rain, and the field doesn’t get heavy underfoot — we want to attack.”
Ntubeni’s eyes filled with tears when he was asked about Solomon, with whom he had worked since 2011.
“It is quite different being here at training without Chippy. We are really going to miss him. I remember the first time I spoke to him, he had called me in the Eastern Cape and said, ‘Where are you motherf*****?’ I said at home.
"He said, ‘You have to get to Cape Town.’ So I got on a bus, and he picked me up at the station.
“That was my first interaction with Chippy. He was like a father to a lot of us. He was quite vulgar in his way, but you knew if he swore at you, he loved you. We still can’t believe he is gone. We used to walk in every morning and grab water out of his fridge, and he swore at you.
“But you could always have a coffee with him, and he would give you the best advice. He went through a lot with Western Province/The Stormers.
"He experienced plenty of change, such as the movement from Newlands. He treated every day as if it were his first. He never missed a thing. On tour, everything worked.”
Looking back on his career, Ntubeni described the highlights.
“A first highlight was the Currie Cup final victory in 2012 in Durban, after 11 years of drought for Western Province. We had to scrum against Bismarck and Jannie du Plessis, and The Beast. I still watch that game sometimes.
“The second highlight was the nine minutes for the Boks against Argentina in Pretoria,” the one-cap Bok smiled. “That was pretty special.
“The third highlight was my 100th game for the Stormers (in 2023).
“There are a lot of youngsters coming through in the squad, and I hope to have added value to them and inspired some kids. Hopefully I can add my two cents in the future here in some way,” he said, hinting that there might be a coaching role for him.”